Tenerife Volleyball: Three Teams Chase National Titles

Tenerife volleyball is making a big splash nationally once again, with three island teams set to compete for major titles. This Friday marks the start of the Princess Cup and the Prince Cup, featuring Santa Cruz Cuesta Piedra and Fedes Ascensores La Laguna Aguere in the women's competition, and Arona Spring In Motion in the men's. These three well-established teams, each with their own journey, share a common goal: to fight for a championship.

Along with Barcelona, Tenerife will be the province with the most teams in this competition. In the men's Prince Cup, Arona returns to the knockout tournament after five years. Their last appearance saw them reach the final, beating CV Leganés in the semifinals before finishing as runners-up to Intasa San Sadurniño. In the women's Princess Cup, Cuesta Piedra and Aguere are back after both were knocked out in the semifinals of last year's edition, which was held in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

This year, the Princess Cup will take place in Madrid, at the José Antonio Paraíso pavilion in Torrejón de Ardoz. This will be the first time the Madrid town hosts the event, which crowns the first major champion of the Women's Superliga 2 season. Torrejón takes over from Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where UC3M Leganés won last year. The competition keeps its usual format, bringing together the six best teams from the first half of the season – the top two from each of the three groups.

Joining the host team, UCAM Torrejón, will be Santa Cruz Cuesta Piedra, Fedes Ascensores La Laguna Aguere, Guía, Sant Just, and Barça. This strong lineup suggests a very close competition, a point emphasized by Cuesta Piedra's coach, Francis Hernández, who notes that "the task will be difficult because all those who arrive are at the same level."

Tenerife's teams will be a major focus in Group B, where the two island representatives will share the stage with Barça. Action kicks off early this Friday with the Barça vs. Fedes Ascensores La Laguna match at 8:30 AM. Later that afternoon, the Barça team will face Cuesta Piedra at 5:00 PM. The island derby between the two Tenerife teams will conclude Group B this Saturday at 8:30 AM. From there, the top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals, scheduled for Saturday afternoon. The first semifinal, between the second-place team from Group A and the first-place team from Group B, will be at 5:00 PM, followed by the clash between the first-place team from A and the second-place team from B at 7:00 PM. The grand final will then be held on Sunday at 11:00 AM.

Santa Cruz Cuesta Piedra enters the Princess Cup coming off an excellent first half of the season: they finished first in Group A with 11 wins in 12 matches, suffering only one defeat. However, coach Francis Hernández is careful not to get ahead of himself, preferring to focus on the small details. He stresses that "our chances depend on being focused at every moment of the matches and showing the level displayed so far." He sees the Cup as "a good way to know what form the team is in." Past experience also weighs heavily; Hernández recalls that in 2025, "the Cup slipped away in the semifinals, 2-3 against the eventual champion," a match he explains was marked by "a lack of luck and, in part, due to losing focus at a crucial moment."

Fedes Ascensores La Laguna Aguere is also performing strongly. The team from La Laguna secured its spot by finishing second in Group C, also with 11 victories in 12 matches, matching their city rivals' record. Their coach, Renzo Sánchez, describes the team's current state with optimism and ambition: "we arrive at the Cup in very good shape, especially with eagerness, with a desire to compete." The coach notes that they have "worked throughout the season to achieve this goal" and is confident that the team "will perform well in the Cup."

However, he insists that despite the team's good form, "you should never relax, and you must maintain concentration in training above all to be one hundred percent in every match." The Argentine coach also values last season's experience. Sánchez believes it "provides valuable experience in how to approach and play in this unique competition," reminding everyone that it's "a different competition format than the team is used to in the regular league."

In the Prince Cup, Arona Spring In Motion enters as the second-place team in Group B, with a record of ten victories and two defeats. The Arona team begins their campaign this Friday in Pinto, a town hosting the tournament from Friday until the 11th at the Príncipe de Asturias pavilion. The format is identical to the Princess Cup, gathering the six best teams from the Men's Superliga 2, also divided into two groups.

The southern Tenerife team, placed in Group A, will debut this afternoon at 6:30 PM against the host, Grupo Egido Pinto. Their second match will be this Saturday at 11:00 AM against Intasa San Sadurniño. The semifinals are scheduled for Saturday afternoon at 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM, with the grand final set for Sunday at 11:00 AM. Textil Santanderina, champion in the last two editions, will be defending the title.

The team's coach, player, and captain, Kako Hernández, explains that "the team arrives in very good form after the last league matches." He adds that there's "extra motivation" after missing out on the Cup last year. He warns that in "each match" they will have to be "one hundred percent" if they want to advance. For his team, success in the Cup will depend on "being consistent both in reception and serving," two aspects he considers crucial for "putting pressure on their opponents."