Sada Cruzeiro won all of their three world titles in Betim (2013, 2015 and 2016) and are looking for their fourth crown – Photos: Agênciai7

Sada Cruzeiro Vôlei and Cucine Lube Civitanova are the finalists of the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship as the Brazilians and the Italians both advanced to the gold medal match on Saturday with straight-set semifinal wins at the Ginasio Poliesportivo Dinino Braga, in Betim.

The Cruzeirenses, who won all of their three world titles in Betim (2013, 2015 and 2016) and are looking for their fourth crown at home, had a solid performance against Zenit Kazan and topped the Russians 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-23), repeating the score of both team’s opening match in the tournament, on Tuesday.

The Brazilian victory was built upon a stellar display of Argentinean outside hitter Facundo Conte, who carried the team’s offensive load with 16 points – 14 in attacks and a pair of blocks.

Rio 2016 Olympic champion opposite Evandro (13) and middle-blocker Isac (11) also scored in double digits. The middle attacks were the path for Sada Cruzeiro victory as both Isac and Otavio scored in all of their combined 12 attempts.

“Sada has had a lot of success in the last years, but this is a new team and we’re looking for a fresh start,” Isac explained. “I think we’ve been playing really well and there’s still a lot of room for improvement as we experience new situations in matches against some of the best teams in the world. To be in the final is just a reflex of how hard we work and how much we trust this project.”

Men’s Club World Championship – Betim – Brazil 

Finals

Sunday, 08/12

12h30 – Sada Cruzeiro Vôlei x Cucine Lube Civitanova

9h30 – Zenit Kazan x Al-Rayyan

Semifinals

Saturday, 07/12

14h – Sada Cruzeiro 3 x 0 Zenit Kazan

17h – Lube Civitanova 3 x 0 Al-Rayyan

Preliminary Round

Tuesday, 03/12

Lube Civitanova 3 x 0 Al-Rayyan

Sada Cruzeiro 3 x 0 Zenit Kazan

Wednesday, 04/12

Zenit Kazan 3 x 1 Al-Rayyan

Sada Cruzeiro 0 x 3 Lube Civitanova

Thursday, 05/12

Lube Civitanova 2 x 3 Zenit Kazan

Sada Cruzeiro 3 x 0 Al-Rayyan