Brazilian spikers on fire

MANILA, Philippines — The Brazilians flew to the Philippines to showcase how great a volleyball country they are.

It was in full display last night as the Canarinhos turned back the fighting Orange Tulips of the Netherlands in a gripping 24-26, 25-23, 31-29, 25-20 victory that pushed the former closer to booking a spot in the top eight or the final round of the Men’s Volleyball Nations League at the MOA Arena.

Darlan Ferreira Souza was electric as he unloaded a team-best 26 points including 20 booming kills, three monster blocks and the same number of torpedo-like service aces.

Also coming through for the Brazilians, three-time Olympic and world champions and one-time winners in this annual event organized by the FIVB, were Lucas Saatkamp and Flavio Resende Gualberto, who chipped in 12 and 11 hits, respectively.

The win propelled Brazil to No. 3 with 19 points, two away from No. 1 Italy (21 points, seven wins) and Slovenia (18 points, seven wins).

“We still need to keep on working because our next game is tougher, against USA,” said Gualberto.

The Brazilians overcame an impressive 38-hit explosion of Dutch skipper Nimir Abdel-Aziz, who almost single-handedly kept the Orange Tulips in the game.

With the loss, the Netherlands was stranded at No. 13 with nine points and three victories.