Taylor Sander Signs With Brazilian Juggernaut

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Sander is heading to one of the most successful clubs in the history of worldwide volleyball.
The American outside hitter who spent the last season with American teammate Micah Christenson at Lube Civitanova will be making his way across the Atlantic Ocean to suit up for Sada Cruzeiro in the Brazilian Superliga next season.  This was to be expected as Lube seemed to have difficulty juggling all of the foreign players in their roster to meet the quota in the Italian SuperLega.  They seem to be working on this for next year with Sander and Grebenikov departing.  He will be the first American to play in the Brazilian Superliga since Dustin Whatten back in the 2013-2014 season when he played for Moda Maringa.  Sada has won the last 5 consecutive Brazilian titles, and 6 of the last 7.  They have also won 3 of the last 5 FIVB Club World Championships.  Sander has been brought in to replace Cuban superstar Yoandry Leal.   After 6 years with Sada Cruzeiro, Leal has been linked with a move to Sada Cruzeiro.

This will be the third continent Taylor Sander has played professionally, after spending a majority of his career so far in Italy.  After leaving BYU, Sander started his career with BluVolley Verona.  He spent 2 seasons there, finishing 4th place both years.  Both years they set club records for highest finish in the table, wins, and points.  He spent the next year in China with Beijing where his team finished 2nd place.  This last year at Lube he finished 2nd place in the Italian SuperLega, the CEV Champions League, and the FIVB Club World Championships.  Sander was the MVP of the 2014 FIVB World League. 

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