Betim, Brazil, December 3, 2019 – Hosts Sada Cruzeiro Vôlei posted a sound 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-22) victory over Russia’s Zenit Kazan is the teams’ first match at the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship at the Ginasio Poliesportivo Divino Braga, in Betim, Brazil.
Sada Cruzeiro Vôlei’s setter Fernando ‘Cachopa’ Kreling: “We always leave everything we have on the court and today we were fantastic. We played really well and we neutralized their best skills. But it’s a long and tough week and more difficult games will be coming our way starting tomorrow, so we need to keep our focus.”
Sada Cruzeiro Vôlei’s head coach Marcelo Mendez: “We played a good game. We did well in pretty much every skill – we served well, our blocking touched in a lot of balls and our offense was in good rhythm. I’m really proud of the team, but now we have to turn our focus to Lube as the match against them won’t be any easier.”
Zenit Kazan’s head coach Alexey Verbov: “It’s obviously not a good start for us, but a new tournament will start in the semifinals, so it’s not so bad for us. It’s a big time-difference and a very distinct weather here and we’re still adjusting to it. We also need to feel the new ball better. Sada Cruzeiro played really well today, but we need to find our game because it was a poor performance for us. We’ll be ready for next match and hopefully we can improve step-by-step.”
Youtube