Sesc and Minas Advance to South American Club Championship Finals

Women’s South American Club Championship

• Belo Horizonte, Feb. 20 – 24
• Teams and Schedule

There were no surprises on the pool stage and semifinals of the South American Club Championship as Camponesa/Minas and Sesc/RJ completely demolished its opponents on their way to the finals, which will be played this Saturday.

Both Brazilian clubs were heavy favorites as most of South American female leagues are in their early stages of development, with still amateur levels of competition. This disparity n can be seen by their game scores:

Minas‘ Road to the Finals

Camponesa/Minas (3 x 0) Regatas Lima (PER) – (25/22, 25/13 e 25/14)
Camponesa/Minas x Boca Juniors (ARG) – (25/7, 25/16 e 25/12)
Semifinal 1 – Camponesa/Minas (3 x 0) Gimnásia Y Esgrima (ARG) – (25/14, 25/13 e 25/11

Sesc‘s Road to the Finals

Sesc-RJ (BRA) x Gimnasia Y Esgrima (ARG) – (25/13, 25/15 e 25/17)
Sesc-RJ (BRA) (3 x 0) San Simón (BOL) – (25/6, 25/14 e 25/13)
Semifinal 2 – Sesc-RJ (BRA) (3 x 0) Regatas Lima (PER) – (25/13, 25/8 e 25/9)

Here is what both teams had to say of their finals match up:

“We have the advantage of playing home, and we are dealing with that the best way possible. We of course, want to win a berth the Club World Championship. Our team is slowly growing in the competition. Our squad needs to be tough, serve well, and have our defense play a good game. We are very focused.” Minas‘s Rosamaria Montibeller

“There are no favorites. We are the best two teams of the tournament. We know the arena will be packed, the crowd will be there. Let’s hope that will be a great volleyball game.” Sesc‘s Fabiana Alvim

This will be Minas‘ first trip to the finals after 18 years, while Sesc will play for its 4th straight title. The winning team will be awarded a spot at the 2018 FIVB Club WCH. Unfortunelly for Hooker, USA’s Destinee Hooker won’t be available for the match as she recently underwent a minor groin surgical procedure, which makes Sesc heavy title favorites despite its earlier loss to Minas in Superliga play.

Hoje vamos disputar a final do Sul-Americano contra o Sesc RJ. Vamos torcer muito e dar aquela força para as meninas conquistarem este título e irem direto para o Mundial. #VaiCamponesa Te esperamos às 15h45 aqui na nossa casa! (Com transmissão pela SPORTV) #CamponesaMinas #AquiéCamponesa #euamovôlei #Camponesa #Embaré #TorcidaVitaminada #volei #vôlei #voleibol #voleifeminino #Sulamericano

A post shared by Torcida Vitaminada Camponesa (@torcidavitaminadacamponesa) on Feb 24, 2018 at 4:55am PST

HOJE É DIA DA GRANDE FINAL! Na disputa pelo título do Sul Americano 2018, vamos enfrentar a equipe do @camponesaminasoficial às 15h45 na Arena Minas, aqui em BH. A partida terá transmissão ao vivo do @sportv! Contamos com a sua torcida e vamos em busca de mais uma conquista! 👏 #SescRJ #SulAmericano #Voleibol

A post shared by Sesc RJ Vôlei Feminino🏐 (@sescriovolei) on Feb 24, 2018 at 5:17am PST