Argentina makes history by claiming the Men’s South American Volleyball Championship after 59 years

In a remarkable display of skill and determination, the Argentina men's volleyball team produced an unforgettable moment on Wednesday night. They executed a 3-0 victory over Brazil in front of the 8,000-spectator crowd at the Arena Geraldão in Recife, Brazil at the final of the XXXV South American Championship.

The Championship unfolded with teams battling it out in a round-robin format, where victory was determined by the team with the most wins.

This triumph marked both an end to Brazil's 33-year winning streak, and Argentina's return to the continental title after an astonishing 59 years. The country’s last continental championship win was in 1964.

From the outset of the match, the Argentina players demonstrated an unyielding determination to shatter Brazil's dominance. With a display of high-quality volleyball, impeccable serving, and solid blocking, they secured the first set, instilling the belief that they could rewrite the competition's history. The roaring crowd encouraged the Brazilians to push back, extending the second set to a tie-breaker, but ultimately the Argentina proved too strong for Brazil to mount a comeback. Argentina sealed their victory at 3-0 (25-19, 29-27, 25-22).

(Photo credit: Mauricio Val)

Luciano Vicentin, Argentina’s outside hitter, exited the court not only with the gold medal but also with the coveted Most Valuable Player (MVP) trophy of the tournament. Two other Argentinian players, Luciano De Cecco and Nicolás Zerba, also earned their place on the list of top performers in the Championship.

(Photo credit: Mauricio Val)

On the penultimate day of the competition, a riveting five-set match saw Colombia, led by Jorge Schmidt, outshine Chile with a 3-2 victory (20-25, 27-25, 16-25, 25-23, 15-12). This triumph secured Colombia the third-place position and marked their return to the South American Championship podium. The last time the Colombian team claimed bronze was in 2015 during the championship in Maceió, Brazil. Chile secured the fourth position, while Peru settled for fifth.

Colombia has received a total investment of CHF 358,000 through the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment programme. The Colombia men’s national volleyball team is provided with coach support, while volleyball equipment and coach support has been provided to the country’s women’s volleyball and beach volleyball national teams since 2018.

FINAL STANDINGS

1. ARGENTINA

2. BRAZIL

3. COLOMBIA

4. CHILE

5. PERU

DREAM TEAM:

MIDDLE BLOCKERS:

Nicolás Zerba (#22 Argentina)

D. Carabali (#23 Colombia)

RECEIVERS

Parraguirre (#5 Chile)

R. Lucarelli (#18 Brazil)

SETTER

L. DE CECCO (#15 ARGENTINA)

OPPOSITE

Allan De Souza (#21 Brazil)

LIBERO

Thales Hoss (#17 Brazil)

MVP

L. Vicentin (#17 Argentina)