Lebes/Canoas Locks Up Superliga’s 8th Seed – Round 19 Recap

2017-2018 BRAZILIAN MEN’S SUPERLIGA

• 10/14 – 03/17 – Regular Season
• Official League Site
• Teams
• Schedule
• Power Rankings
• Round 1; Round 2; Round 3; Round 4; Round 5; Round 6; Round 7; Round 8; Round 9; Round 10; Round 11
• Round 12; Round 13; Round 14; Round 15; Round 16; Round 17; Round 18

It was a good day to be a host in Superliga, as round 19 saw all of its home teams win their games. As a testament to the league’s strength, 4 of its 6 match-ups this round were only decided in a tie break. As the round’s biggest highlight, the 8 playoff contestants were decided, as Lebes/Canoas beat Ponta Grossa/Caramuru 3-2 (17/25 25/17 22/25 25/17 15/13) behind Matheus Cunda‘s 19 points on 12/17 (71%) hitting, including 7 blocks, to lock  up the competition’s 8th seed. Leonardo Pinheiro had 33 points in the losing effort. Canoas out-blocked Ponta Grossa 16 to 7 for the match.

Recaps

• SESC/RJ beat Minas Tênis Clube 3-2 (22/25 25/16 25/21 22/25 15/12) behind João Ferreira‘s 18 points. Robson Devoraren had 16 points in the losing effort. 4 of Sesc starters scored 14 points or more in the match.
• EMS FUNVIC/Taubaté beat Vôlei Renata/Campinas 3-2 (28/26 19/25 21/25 25/19 11/15) behind Wallace Souza‘s 21 points. Leandro Vissotto had 31 points in the losing effort. Taubaté out-blocked Campinas 13-7 in the match and had 5 starters score in double figures.
• Sada/Cruzeiro beat Montes Claros Vôlei 3-1 (17/25 25/20 25/20 25/20) behind Yoandy Leal‘s 17 points on 15/22 (68%) hitting. Fabrício Dias had 15 points in the losing effort. Cruzeiro out-blocked Montes Claros 12 to 6 in the match.
• Sesi/SP beat Corinthians/Guarulhos 3-2 (25/18 25/22 26/28 21/25 15/11) behind Alan Souza‘s 25 points on 20/32 (63%) hitting, including 5 blocks. Luiz Sene had 17 points on 9/10 hitting, including 4 aces and 4 blocks, but in the losing effort. Sesi outhit Corinthians 58% to 48% as a team.
• JF Vôlei beat Copel Telecom/Maringá 3-0 (25/22 25/16 25/20) behind Leonardo Nascimento‘s 14 points. Alisson Bastos had 12 points in the losing effort. JF hit 55% as a team, while holding Maringá to 45%.

Team of the Week: Canoas

Canoas and Ponta Grossa went head to head in a game that ended up deciding Superliga’s 8th and last playoff spot. A win by Ponta Grossa would keep its postseason dream alive, but it was no match for Canoas, which came back from behind twice to punch its playoffs ticket.

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SUPERLIGA 2017/2018 | 19ª rodada | Lebes Canoas 3×2 Ponta Grossa Caramuru (17/25, 25/17, 22/25, 25/17, 15/13); Foto: Fernando Potrick | @gamaimagem

A post shared by APAV Vôlei (@apav_volei_canoas) on Feb 24, 2018 at 3:17pm PST

Player of the Week: Matheus Cunda

Matheus Cunda had a game that is every coach’s dream. Not only did he hit the ball very effectively, scoring 19 points on 12/17 (71%) hitting, but he also spearheaded the team’s defense by scoring 7 blocks. A clutch performance in Canoa’s most important game of the season.

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Gratidão resume! Seguimos firmes rapaziada, parabéns e bora seguir ralando. 👊

A post shared by Matheus Alejandro (@matheus_alejandro) on Nov 20, 2017 at 5:35pm PST

Standings