Suzano responded under pressure by defeating Itambé Minas in straight sets to level their Superliga quarterfinal series at 1-1. Backed by their home crowd, the São Paulo side delivered a composed performance to bounce back from last week’s loss in Belo Horizonte.
The tie will now be decided in a winner-takes-all third match on April 16 at Arena UniBH. The victor advances to the semifinals to face Sada Cruzeiro.
Gabriel Pessoa played a key role for winners, hitting crucial aces late in the first set and sparking a decisive run in the third to swing momentum firmly in Suzano’s favor. He finished with 12 points and was named MVP.
Guilherme Sabino led all scorers with 18 points. On the other side, Minas struggled for consistency in attack, with Samuel Neufeld the lone standout on 13 points.
Suzano outperformed Minas in attack and blocking, controlling the match despite an even number of errors from both teams. The result leaves the evenly matched rivals set for a decisive clash in Belo Horizonte.
Result: Suzano 3–0 Itambé Minas (26-24, 25-18, 25-22)