Plataneros de Corozal is a professional volleyball team based in Corozal, Puerto Rico. They play in the Puerto Rican Liga de Voleibol Superior Masculino (LVSM), where they are the second team with most championships with nine, only trailing the world-record holders Changos de Naranjito (24). The success achieved by the Plataneros and their counterpart, the Pinkin de Corozal of the Liga de Voleibol Superior Femenino (LVSF), during the 1970s and 1980s earned the municipality the nickname of "La Capital del Voleibol" (lit. "The Capital of Volleyball").
History Early years The team's name was based on a nickname for the municipality, "El Pueblo de los Plataneros", which makes reference to its historic agricultural economy and in particular to its widespread plantain crops. The Plataneros began their participation by forming a roster comprised by players developed locally at Corozal, with their first team taking several seasons to acquire experience while playing in the youth leagues. They were owned by Manuel Nevárez Díaz and coached by Abraham Ramírez. These included a core of players including Julio Figueroa, Tomás Martínez, Aníbal Rivera, Jesús Rivera, Patricio Morales, Rubén Martínez, Vitín Morales, Tomás Colón, Alex Díaz, Jimmy Morales, Jesús Sánchez, Tito Rodríguez, José L. Ojeda, Iván Santiago, Jesús Sierra, William Domínguez and Julio Rivera.
By 1975, the Plataneros were competing against Primera División teams. Corozal's first participation in a quarterfinals took place in 1976, when they defeated the Changos de Naranjito in three games. In the semifinals, the Plataneros defeated the Cafeteros de Yauco in four games. The Mets de Guaynabo defeated Corozal in five games, with the decisive one being held at a neutral court in Caguas. The Plataneros began the 1976–77 season in a winning streak, reaching the finals for the second consecutive season. Once again paired against Guaynabo, this time Corozal won a decisive sixth game before a sold-out crowd at home to earn their first league championship. Now owned by Víctor Vázquez and coached by Agustin Flores, they advanced to the finals again in 1978–79, being paired with the Changos de Naranjito in what became known as La Serie de la Montaña, due to both teams hailing from neighboring municipalities. The Plataneros won the series in six games as part of a series that sold well.
Following the acquisition of the franchise by Jesús Rivera and the contracting of Francisco Ochoa as coach, the Plataneros began the 1979 season on a 7-0 winning streak that placed them on top of the overall rankings and the leadership of Section A. Corozal received the visit of the runner-up Changos before a sold-out crowd, defeating them en route to extend their streak to 16–0. Both teams faced off in a rematch a month later, with the Changos now boasting a record of 13-2 while Corozal who continued undefeated, won this game as well. The Plataneros defeated the Cafeteros de Yauco in three sets (15–9, 15-13 and 15–11) to tie the league's record for most consecutive wins with 21. However, the team's bid to break the mark concluded when the Patriotas de Lares defeated them in five sets (11–15, 15–10, 15–13, 15-12 and 15–7).
Still on top of both the league and their section, the Plataneros recovered by defeating Bayamón in three sets (15–10, 15-10 and 15–13) and finished the regular season with a record of 26–1. Corozal interrupted the season to play an exhibition series against the pre-selection of the Puerto Rico women's national team. Advancing to the final series, the Plataneros won the first over the Changos in four sets (15–9, 15–9, 6-15 and 15–4). In a decisive fifth game, Corozal defeated Naranjito in four sets (17–5, 10–15, 15-10 and 15–12). This win tied them with Yauco and Ponce as the teams with most league titles.
Perennial champions The Plataneros opened the 1980 season on another winning streak, gathering eleven consecutive victories. Like the previous season, their first loss came in three sets (15–7, 15-12 and 15–13) against the Patriotas. Corozal opened their postseason participation with a three win loss to the Caciques de Jayuya. The Plataneros responded by winning the second game in three sets and clinched the series with a four-set win. Corozal defeated Ponce in three (15–9, 15-10 and 15–6) and four sets (15–2, 14–16, 15-6 and 15–9) to take a lead in the semifinals. Despite sweeping the Leones, Lares was favored to win the title and there were concerns that the team was aging. The Plataneros opened the final by winning the first two games over the Patriotas. Corozal defeated Lares in four sets (6–15, 15–11, 15-12 and 15–10) to win their fourth straight championship, a league record at the moment. The Plataneros were recognized as the "Team of the Decade".
Coached by Paco Ochoa the Plataneros opened the 1981 season by receiving the visit of the Guayacanes de Guayanilla, defeating them in three sets (15–1, 15-11 and 15–6), starting another extended undefeated streak defeating Trujillo Alto (15–5, 15–13, 13-15 and 15–5) to climb to the top of the rankings. After improving their record to 5–0, Corozal defeated the Patriotas who entered the game as the other undefeated team in the league, in five sets. The Plataneros defeated the Bucaneros de Arroyo (15–10, 15–7, 9-15 and 15–12) and Caguas (10–15, 15–8, 15-4 and 15–6) to widen their lead. The Plataneros defeated Yauco to reach eleven consecutive games. The continued this streak by defeating Ponce in five sets (15–11, 15–13, 8–15, 10-15 and 15–0) for their 15th victory. Led by Víctor Morales with 11 points, the Plataneros defeated the Patriotas in four sets (15–11, 15–3, 14-16 and 15–12) to clinch the first place on the standings.
By defeating Arroyo, Caguas and Naranjito, Corozal won its 20th game, marking its 30th consecutive victory including the previous season. The team closed the season by defeating the Cafeteros (11–15, 15–8, 15–5, 13-15 and 15–6) and Leones (15–12, 15-3 and 15–3) to finish a perfect season and establish a new league record. Corozal was paired against the Criollos in the quarterfinals, opening with a three-set win (15–2, 15-2 and 15–7), repeating the performance in the second (15–13, 15-11 and 15–12) and third (15–10, 15-9 and 15–10) games to sweep the series. In the semifinals, the team defeated the Cafeteros de Yauco in three sets (15–10, 15-5 and 15–6), the second in four sets and won the third to advance. The Patriotas snapped the winning streak by winning in four sets (15–4, 6–15, 10-15 and 15–8). Corozal responded by tying the series in three sets (15–13, 15-9 and 15–9) and took the lead in four sets (18–16, 15–12, 15-8 and 15–2). Lares defended their home court in five sets (6–15, 15–11, 15–13, 11-15 and 15–13) to tie the series. Corozal retook the series lead with five set (15–2, 15–7, 9-15 and 15–9) win, but Lares tied the series again (4–15, 15–13, 16–14, 9-15 and 15–6) at Coliseo Pancho Gelpí in Arecibo. The Patriotas won the decisive game held at Coliseo Pachín Vicens at Ponce in five sets (15–12, 8–15, 15–12, 6-15 and 15–7).
Julio Figueroa acquired the franchise, serving as both owner and player, with Alex Díaz as coach. Corozal opened the 1982 season on a five-game winning streak, defeating the Cafeteros in four sets (14–16, 15–8, 16-14 and 16–14) to place second behind the 8-0 Patriotas. The Plataneros suffered a single loss in their next ten games, raising their record to 14–1 with a three set victory over Trujillo Alto. Prior to defeating Arroyo in four sets (15–8, 15–8, 8-15 and 15–3), Díaz presented his resignation as coach due to personal reasons. Figueroa approached Raful Rodríguez and Manuel Torres as possible replacements, with the former being favored. After advancing to the quarterfinals, Corozal defeated the Leñeros de Lares in four sets (16–18, 15–7, 15-10 and 15–9) to open the series. The Plataneros advanced to the semifinals and were paired with the Cafeteros. The team won a decisive game in four sets (15–8, 3–15, 15-10 and 15–12).
The Plataneros opened the finals with a three set (15–10, 15-10 and 15–8) loss, but responded by defeating the Patriotas in thee sets (16–14, 15-5 and 15–4) snapping their opponent's 35-game winning streak. The team won the next two games to gain a 3-1 advance over the Patriotas, who were widely regarded as the favorites to repeat the title. The Plataneros won their fourth straight game in three sets to secure the series and the title. During the offseason, the franchise was acquired by José R. Marrero and Jesús Rivera was named coach. The team's roster retained veterans Julio Figueroa, Tomás Martínez, Aníbal Rivera, Víctor Morales, Jorge González and Patricio Morales, but also included youth players Coabita Colón, Rafael Rivera and Ángel Rodríguez and international player Eduardo Cole. Julio Figueroa was selected Best Offensive Player and Tomás Martínez the Most Valuable Player.
Now owned by José Marrero, entering the season as the favorites to repeat the title and coached by Jesús Rivera, Corozal opened the 1983 season with a three set (15–5, 15-12 and 15–5) win over Caguas, also receiving their championship trophy from league president Germán Vázquez. The team entered another winning streak, gathering a record of 8-0 and the fanbase responded with their support. The Patriotas were able to defeat the Plataneros at home. However, Corozal won a rematch in three sets (15–8, 15-9 and 15–11) at Lares. Led by Tomás Martinez with 13 points, the Plataneros then defeated the Gigantes de Adjuntas in three sets (15–8, 15-7 and 15–9) prior to the All-Star Game, which they also hosted. Tomás Martínez and Caobita Colón were selected to play for Sección Metropolitana, while Jesús Rivera coached the section's team. Finishing on top of the rankings, Corozal began the offseason by dominating Serie D and advancing. However, prior to the final Marrero and Patriotas owner Ricardo Méndez Bryan threatened to boycott the final due to economic differences over television rights, forcing Tournament Director Amaury Rodríguez to postpone the beginning and prompting League President Vázquez to warn them that they would both be suspended for 1–3 years if the behavior continued. However, the delay allowed the Patriotas to recover spiker Rigoberto Guilloty, who was sick and scheduled to lose several games before the development. Once the matter was settled, Lares took a two-game lead over Corozal, winning both in five sets en route to a series win.
Perfect regular season record The Plataneros opened the 1984 season with a record of 10-1 and after defeating the Leones in four sets (12–15, 15–6, 15-9 and 15–9) led by 14 points by Tomás Martínez, they approached the top-ranked Patriotas (12–1). With 15 points by Julio Figueroa the team secured a win over Trujillo Alto in five sets (7–15, 15–7, 15–7, 13-15 and 15–11), capturing the first place. Advancing to the post season without losing a single home game, the Plataneros defeated the Delfines in three sets (15–7, 15-6 and 15–12) to open the quarterfinal. Corozal won the second game in three sets (15–10, 15-6 and 15–9) and won a decisive game to advance. The Plataneros defeated the Guayacanes in three sets (15–4, 15-7 and 15–6) to begin the semifinal. The team won the second game in three sets (15–6, 15-8 and 15–10) and a decisive match (15–12, 15-13 and 15–11) to advance. Corozal won the first game of the series in five sets (16–14, 15–11, 7–15, 8-15 and 15–7) and the second in four sets (15–5, 15–6, 13-15 and 15–5). The Plataneros defeated the Changos in five sets (15–12, 11–15, 15–17, 15-2 and 17–15) before a sold-out crowd at Naranjito to win their sixth championship.