Rio, Osasco, and Uberlândia Start Round 1 Of Superliga With A Bang

2017-2018 BRAZILIAN WOMEN’S SUPERLIGA

• 10/15 – 03/02 – Regular Season
• Official League Site
• Teams
• Schedule
• Power Rankings

Pretty much like the male edition, which started last saturday, the 2017-2018 Brazilian Women’s Superliga season kicked off with a bang. Most of the title favorites dominated play with convincing wins. The surprise of Round 1 came at the hands of São Caeatano,  a team that will fight against relegation this season, but who as a testament to the great parity among Superliga teams, handed Minas, one of Brazil’s premier clubs, a very one sided 3-0 loss.

Even though Minas was playing shorthanded, as former Team USA player Destinee Hooker was not in uniform for the team, its loss was a major upset. Speaking of former Team USA standouts, Nicole Fawcett debuted for Uberlândia, seeing only limited playing time in their win against Valinhos. As she is coming from a big layoff, the team will bring her up to playing form slowly.

Below, you’ll find recaps from all of Round 1’s action:

• Fluminense FC beat BRB/Brasília Vôlei 3-0 (25/16, 25/16, 25/19) behind Thais Souza’s 27 points (6 aces, 2 blocks, 51% hitting efficiency). Meanwhile, Aline Silva had 7 points in the losing effort. Brasília had only a 24% hitting efficiency as a team in the loss.
• Esporte Clube Pinheiros beat Vôlei Bauru 3-1 (23/25, 25/23, 25/17, 25/21) behind Bruna Honório’s 20 points. Cuban national Yoana Palácio had 15 points in the losing effort.
• Vôlei Nestlé beat Hinode/Barueri 3-1 (17/25, 25/23, 20/25, 17/25) behind Tandara Caixeita‘s 22 points. Edinara Brancher had 20 points in the losing effort. Oscasco had 11 aces in the game.
• São Cristovão Saúde/São Caetano upset Camponesa/Minas 3-0 (21/25, 22/25, 23/25) behind Sabrina Machado’s 13 points. Meanwhile, national teamers Mara Leão and Rosamaria Montibeller had 13 points each in the losing effort. Minas boasted an awful 15% reception efficiency as a team for the game. Former Team USA player Destinee Hooker was not in uniform for Minas.
• Title favorites Dentil Praia/Uberlândia beat Renata Country/Valinhos 3-0 (21/25, 15/25, 25/27) behind national teamer Amanda Campos’ 14 points. Meanwhile, Nayara Felix had 12 points in the losing effort. Former Team Usa player Nicole Fawcett saw limited playing time in her debut for Uberlândia. Valinhos boasted an awful 18% reception efficiency as a team for the game.
• Bernadinho’s Sesc/RJ beat Sesi/SP 3-0 (16/25, 9/25, 21/25) behind Monique Pavão’s 18 points. Meanwhile, three players had 6 points as Sesi‘s team high: Nikolle Correa, Raquel Loff, and Thaynã Soares. Sesi had a 26% hitting efficiency as a team for the game.

Team of the week:

One of Brazil’s premier teams in the past, São Caetano has been going through some of rough seasons as of late. Last season’s 9th place finish was a warning for the club, who hopes to fight relegation this year. A win against a top team that boasts four national teamers will build São Caetano’s players’ confidence for the remainder of the season.

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Ótima vitória time 💪🏻🙏🏻#saocaetano#superliga

A post shared by Sonaly Cidrao 😊 (@sonalycidrao) on Oct 17, 2017 at 5:36pm PDT

Player of the week:

Thais Souza displayed the dominance that made Fluminense offer her a big contract, lucrative contract this this year. She had 27 points in only three sets of play in Fluminense’s win against Brasília. She dominated Brasilia’s passing lanes with six aces, and also added 2 blocks in the effort.

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O Troféu VivaVôlei CIMED na vitória do @fluminensefc ficou a ponteira Thaisinha! Ela ainda foi a maior pontuadora do confronto, com 25 pontos. #bbnosesportes #vôlei #voleibol

A post shared by Conf. Brasileira de Voleibol (@cbvolei) on Oct 15, 2017 at 9:32am PDT

Standings