It’s now or never: Alianza Lima and why the LNSV final against San Martín can mark a before and after in its history

There is a story behind that shield. He is blue like the sky, because he is a believer in God. And also white for every smile when… adding a point. Is he Alianza Lima volleyball team the one who this afternoon will seek to write a new chapter of glory for the blue and white, a story that almost a generation has not been able to enjoy, images that few have been able to see. The intimates are going for their first title in the National Volleyball League – it has been played since 2002 – or a championship after 31 years, since 1993 when they celebrated their last crown in the discipline.

And the fan is excited because against the favorite San Martín, leader of the first and second phase, they were three match points away from winning the first final and broke their undefeated record in the second.

In just one weekend, Alianza became a candidate to win the title. Because he showed it that way on the court. If we see the results in each match of the regular season and in the first final, it took San Martín five sets and more than two hours of play to overcome the blue and white. When the intimates were able to play at their own pace, they resolved the second final in three sets with an hour and a half of play.

And there is a factor that could have been decisive. None of the teams plays with their coach on the field due to the sanctions to Petry and Vinicius. Thus, Alianza gained tranquility from the hand of Gaspar Vicuña, and the saints rushed with Albert Maduro.

And it will be what the girls determine on the field. Perhaps tonight we will see the first blue and white title or the sixth crown of a San Martín that went from the hell of relegation in 2021 and is one step away from returning to the glory of being champions.

The fans

The finals have shown that the resellers’ cancer is also experienced in volleyball. It happened last week and last Thursday it happened again when the Joinnus page seemed not to work and when the purchase link was finally accessed, all the tickets were already sold out. There was no specific statement on this, but the Peruvian Volleyball Federation has established a series of measures to try to fight this problem.

This afternoon, the bars of the two teams will be separated. The Villa El Salvador Sports Center will be ‘divided’ into two, the southern part for the blue and white fans and the northern part for the saints. To access, each person will have to do so with a printed ticket and ID on hand, which will confirm that each ticket corresponds to each person.

The game is scheduled for 5:30 in the afternoon and the doors of the Poli will be open from 2:30 pm to avoid crowds outside the venue and everyone can be in their locations when the starting whistle is blown.

Volleyball, the most beloved sport in Peru, is currently taking refuge in our local tournament, with its evils and sorrows. At the national team level we have not yet recovered, but the League shows that there is invaluable material: the passion of the fan who, day after day, comes to see his team.

The families, the children. They are the ones we must never lose.