The representatives of San Cristóbal, in women’s, and Santiago, in men’s, were crowned national superior volleyball champions by sweeping Club Calero (Santo Domingo) and Bayaguana (Este), respectively, in two games.
The San Cristobalenses dethroned the then monarchs and Calero’s favorites as visitors in the two games they played in the final series agreed to the best in three.
In the first game they prevailed 25-20, 20-25, 25-21, 20-25, 15-12 with an excellent attack by Esmeralda Ramírez and Alondra Reyes, who scored 19 and 15 points, in that order. In the lost cause, Elsa Cuevas scored 16 and Ana Jiménez 14.
Then, led by 25 points from Ramírez, they prevailed in a match that extended to five sets (25-23, 15-25, 25-19, 20-25, 15-13) against the Villaduarte team to lift the champion’s trophy .
male branch
Santiago, on his side, broke a long streak of 42 years without winning the scepter in the superior category by beating Bayaguana 3 sets to 1 (25-23, 20-25, 25-22 and 25-15) in the first match of the last stop of the Volleyball Champions Cup, organized by the Dominican Volleyball Federation and which took place in the indoor Fernando Valerio of Ciudad Corazón.
Ezequiel Toribio led the winning offense with 17 points, escorted by Ronny Molina (16). For Bayaguana, Jonathan Mercedes (19) and Bismal Almonte (12).
In the second clash, the representative group of the North region defeated the group from the East 25-20, 25-22, 25-17.
Santiago recovered more than four decades later the crown that he had obtained in 1981 in both branches. On that occasion, “El Chino” Héctor Rodríguez and Olga Rodríguez were chosen as the Most Valuable Players and, later, Volleyball Players of the Year in the country in their branches.
José –Yeye-Aybar, the current president of the Santiago Volleyball Association, began as a rookie in the men’s team.