^{Toledo/Prati-Donaduzzi/Avotol team was the undefeated Champion of JOJUPS. Photo: Silmar Ramos}

Toledo/Prati-Donaduzzi/Avotol men volleyball team under-19 category won an unprecedented title for Toledo on Tuesday (19). The team from the west of Paraná brought the trophy of the 32nd edition of the Youth Games of Paraná (JOJUPS) - division B. The achievement came after the victory against Tamboara in a competition held in Francisco Beltrão.

JOJUPS is a promotion of the State Department of Education and Sports of the state of Paraná. Under-19 men´s volleyball team, 10 teams competed. Toledo played five games and won all of them, that is, it was consecrated as the undefeated champion.

^{Captain Caetano Batista received the Youth Games Champion Trophy. Photo: Silmar Ramos}

The victory represented not only the achievement of the title, but also the possibility of playing Division A of the Youth Games in 2020, which is considered the elite competition of Paraná volleyball. The more than 13 athletes who participated in the games are part of the Mais Vôlei project supported by Prati-Donaduzzi pharmaceutical industry since 2015, through the Sports Incentive Law.

The coach André Van de Sand attributed the victory to some factors. According to him, winning the title was the main objective of the year. “We all wanted to be champions and we worked hard every day to go to Francisco Beltrão and return home with the trophy. We must congratulate the athletes, because they devoted themselves a lot”, he says.

Team captain, athlete Caetano Batista, has been on the project for four years. He started in the volleyball schools for children and is now defending the team in the performance categories. “Through the title, we are in the state volleyball elite. This is a source of great pride. The achievement is unprecedented. We achieved our goals even with very fierce games”, he says.

^{The achievement guaranteed a place in the JOJUPS 2020 Division A match. Photo: Silmar Ramos}

Next Competitions

This weekend, Toledo will host the final stage of Paraná U19 Volleyball Championship. The team, which is already in the rhythm of the competitions, will fight for the stay in Division A. In total, there will be eight teams competing and the first game takes place on Friday (22), at 9am at Hugo Zeni Gymnasium.