Sada Cruzeiro wins 2010 Uc Irvine Volleyball tournament

Irvine, Calif. – SADA Cruzeiro from Brazil was team champion of the second annual UC Irvine International Volleyball Tournament presented by Asics and Hyatt Regency held on the UCI campus.

SADA Cruzeiro went 4-0 in the tournament to claim the title. Korean Air Jumbos defeated Zhejiang of China 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-15) on Sunday to finish in second place with a 3-1 record. UPCN Voley from Argentina was third (2-2), while UC Irvine was fourth (1-3) and Zhejiang was fifth (0-4).

Brazil’s Felipe Ferraz was named Tournament MVP, while SADA Cruzeiro’s William Arjona and Douglas Cordeiro joined him on the All-Tournament team. UPCN’s Kamil Baranek and Jose Sousa and Korean Air Jumbos Evan Patek and Kim Woong Jin were also all-tournament selections.

In the second match of the day the Korean Air-Jumbos defeated Zhejiang of China 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-15). Leading the Korean Air Jumbos was Evan Patak with 13 kills and Bae Ho Cheul with 29 assists. Leading China was Jin Zhihong with nine kills and Zhu Guilong and Yu Lei with seven kills.

In the first set the Korean Air-Jumbos would go on to win 25-19. The set was pretty much one-sided as the Koreans never trailed. Evan Patak would lead the Air-Jumbos with seven kills and only one error in the set. Patak would also ace three of his services.

The second set would be much of the same as Korean won the set 25-17. Patak and Kim Woon Jin led the team in kills with 10 combined.

The Air Jumbos played outstanding defense in the third set holding the Chinese to a .167 attack percentage. Korea would win the set 25-15 and the match, 3-0.

In the first match Sunday SADA Cruzeiro from Brazil defeated UC Irvine 3-0(25-16, 25-22, 25-17).

“I think my team played well,” head coach Marcelo Mendez said. “We were able to get good side-outs in important situations. When our team fell behind, we just had to regain our focus, we found our focus in a timely manner and were able to regain our composure. I think the tournament has been amazing and we really have enjoyed ourselves. We are looking forward to coming back if they will have us.”

Brazil was led by Samuel Fachs with 12.5 points on 11 kills followed by Renato Felizardo with 12 points on nine kills and five total blocks. Setter William Arjona had 36 set assists and an ace. Libero Sergio Norueira led all players with 14 digs.

Jeremy Dejno led UC Irvine with eight kills on 17 attempts. Dan McDonnell recorded seven kills followed by Jordan Default with six. Anthony Spittle totaled 19 set assists.

Brazil took set one, 25-16. Brazil started strong taking an early 6-2 lead with a 4-0 run. Brazil used a balanced attack with five players posting at least two kills each. Marcos Acacio lead the team with four kills. Brazil posted an impressive .583 hitting percentage with no errors (14-0-24).

UCI took a 16-13 lead in the second set on a Dejno kill. Brazil battled back to go up 21-18 on five unanswered points. UCI came within one, 21-20, on a Dan McDonnell block, but SADA Cruzeiro would score the next two points and go on to the 25-22 victory.

The Anteaters rallied on five straight points to tie the third set at 13-13. The set remained close until Brazil rallied for eight unanswered points taking a 24-17 lead. William Arjona ended the set and match with a kill 25-17.

“I think they were just a better team tonight,” UCI head coach said. “We did some good things, but they were just one touch better. Whether it be one more dig, one more set, or one more kill, they just seemed to have it. I think we had some good rallies but they were just able to finish, their skill level was very high.”

“I think the tournament was wonderful,” Speraw ended. “We were able to bring in some good competition which is great for our guys. The win against China was big. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to UCI assistant coach David Kniffin for making this tournament roll with ease. He is amazing.”

TOURNAMENT MVP: Felipe Ferranz, SADA Cruzeiro

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: William Arjona & Douglas Cordeiro (Sada Cruziero), Kamil Baranek & Jose Sousa (UPCN Voley), Evan Patak & Kim Woong Jin (Korean Air Jumbos) 

Tournament Champions: SADA Cruzeiro (Brazil)
Tournament Runner-Up: Korean Air Jumbos (Korea)
Third Place: UPCN Voley (Argentina)
Fourth Place: UC Irvine (USA)
Fifth Place: Zhejiang (China)