Sesc RJ Flamengo kicked off the 2024/2025 season. With a 3-0 victory over Maringá, with scores of 25/19, 25/23 and 25/22, in Santo Ângelo, Rio Grande do Sul, coach Bernardinho's team took the lead in the fight for the triangular trophy, which also includes Minas.

Rubro-Negro will return to the court on Friday (27.09), at 20 pm, against the Minas Gerais team, who are the current Superliga champions, and need one more victory to secure the cup.

In preparation for the long season ahead, Sesc RJ Flamengo celebrated the result, but knows that it still needs to gain cohesion and gain game rhythm to achieve its goals.

"It was the first match of the season. The team is still getting to know each other. We had a lot of teamwork errors, but the victory was worth it. Brie arrived from Canada three days ago. Now, it's time to study our team more, get into rhythm, and seek improvement. Friday will be a different story. Minas is coming off a tournament against teams like Praia Clube, Mackenzie, and Brasília, and we still have a lot to improve," said Bernardinho.

The coach sent setter Brie, spikers Helena and Michelle, opposite hitter Edinara, middle blockers Lorena and Juju, and libero Laís onto the court.

And blocking was a key weapon for Sesc RJ Flamengo throughout the match, especially in the decisive stretch of the second set, when the Rio team needed to turn the score around. Lorena took home the Man of the Match award, and Juju, another standout performer in the triumph, emphasized the importance of the result.

"It was very important to come away with the victory, as we have a nearly completely renewed team and we are building, every day, a more solid group, through hard work. We need the entire team to be united to be able to do well in all competitions," Juju assessed.