Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, February 13, 2015 – Bruno Schmidt and Alison Cerutti will be back in action together after Alison returned to fitness following surgery on his right knee.
While Alison has been battling his way back to full fitness, Bruno teamed up with Luciano Oliveira on the Brazilian Tour and they played four tournaments together in which they won one set of gold and one set of silver medals together.
However, with 2011 FIVB world champion Alison back on court, the Jaoa Passao tournament was Bruno and Luciano’s last in tandem.
“I don’t want to think about it, but the time has come to say goodbye,” Bruno said. “Luciano is a great friend and he has shown he is a top player and able to adapt well with me. I was caught in a tricky position when Alison was injured and thought I might need to start my holiday early, but thankfully he said yes because I was desperate to play.
“I hope he continues to improve. I think he is similar to Emanuel (Rego). He is 1.98m tall like him, is light on his feet, fast and has huge ability.”
The 24-year-old Luciano previously only played on the Brazilian Beach Volleyball Circuit, the second tier of Brazilian beach volleyball and will now attempt to join Alison and Bruno on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour.
The pair have been together for a year and won one gold, two silvers and a bronze together in 2014. This year they will go into the 2015 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships as one of the leading contenders for gold.
“Unfortunately it was our last tournament together,” Luciano said. “The time together has been priceless, reaching two finals and winning one of the Brazilian Tour stops. It means your name is written down in history.
“He taught me many things; he is a forward looking guy whose aim is to always win the tournament. I dreamed about playing with him and it came true. There are some names in mind now, but I have time so I will wait. I am in the window and this success has opened many doors for me.”