Praia Clube from Uberlândia defeated Minas Tênis Clube 3-0 in the women's Superliga volleyball final on Sunday, May 3, at Ibirapuera gym in São Paulo. It marks the team's third title in the 2017/18, 2022/23, and now 2026 seasons. Adenizia was named the tournament's best player.
Praia Clube overcame an uneven regular season, finishing fourth, to claim the title. Despite injuries, the sudden retirement of central Carol Gattaz, and four prior losses to Minas this season, the team dominated the final with sets of 29/27, 25/21, and 25/13.
Setter Macris, nicknamed "Fada", was key to the team's improvement, alongside libero Natinha and veteran ponteira Michelle in the backcourt. Up front, Olympic champion central Adenizia, ponta Payton Caffrey, and opposite Morgan Fingall excelled. Caffrey topped with 15 points, and Michelle was named the match's best.
In the first set, Praia's defensive system prevailed after Minas errors, including a net touch by Julia Nowicka and an invasion by Júlia Kudiess. The second set featured an eight-point run by Michelle Pavão and Caffrey for the turnaround. In the third, Minas' attack errors, with inefficient Mariia Khaleyskaya and wingers, led to a 25/13 close.
Coach Rui Moreira drew boos for benching Macris initially, but the squad advanced in playoffs, ousting regular-season leader Sesi-Flamengo in semis.
