LEÓN, Guanajuato, August 29, 2025 – Canada won its pool to advance directly to the semifinals of the 18th Senior Men’s Pan American Cup, held at the Domo de la Feria in León, Mexico.
Canada swept Colombia 3-0 (28-26, 25-23, 25-23) in an intense contest that decided the top spot in Pool B last night and closed pool play with a 3-0 record.
“The learning level is high for this team. We have a high level of competitive intelligence and it’s showing at some critical moments of the game,” said Canada’s head coach Dave Preston. “We are also learning how to play at altitude with León being 1800m above sea level and what that can do to the flight of the ball.
“We have varying degrees of experience on this team with four guys making their international debuts. The team is supporting each other through all this and the results of pool play reflect this.”
Last night, Canada had the edge in attack points (44-37) and committed fewer unforced errors (23-26). Colombia led in blocks (6-4) and aces (6-4).
Canada’s Jonas Van Huizen topped all scorers with 15 points, all on kills. Jordan Canham added 11 points and Erik Siksna chipped in 10. For Colombia, Miguel Martínez “Amaranto” led with 13 points, followed by Juan Castañeda with 12 (including a match-high 4 aces) and Andrés Piza with 10.
Canada defeated Puerto Rico and Guatemala, both 3-1, in the two other group-stage matches this week.
Canada is the defending Pan Am Cup champion and plays in the semi on Saturday, Aug. 30, with the opponent yet to be decided.
Preston continued: “We are grateful for the rest day to recover and prepare for the semis. We will continue to create opportunities for ourselves and take advantage of those chances when they come. I am very proud of the efforts of all the players and staff to get us to this point and confident we will continue to represent Canada with pride throughout the playoffs.”
Facebook live: COMUDE León
Senior Pan Am Cup Roster
Jordan Canham, Avonmore, ON
Cole Duncanson, St. Catharines, ON
Mason Greves, Calgary, AB
Zachary Hollands, Victoriaville QC
Liam Kristjanson, Oak River, MB
Jeremy Love, Dauphin, MB
Liam Pauls, Balmoral, MB
Darian Picklyk, Winnipeg, MB
Jacob Sargent, Lethbridge, AB
Kaden Schmidt, Mississauga, ON
Cory Schoenherr, Waterloo, ON
Erik Siksna, Markham, ON
Jonas Van Huizen, Langley, BC
Matthys Weststrate, Kelowna, BC
U21 World Championship Update
Jiangmen, China: Canada earned another playoff win today at the FIVB Men’s U21 World Championship in China. It was a five set 2-3 (25-18, 20-25, 23-25, 25-22,13-15) battle against Thailand, with Canada winning the tie-break set.
Canada also defeated Puerto Rico and Tunisia, both in straight sets, earlier this week.
Canada plays Brazil for the final 17-18 placings on Aug. 30 at 8 pm local or 8 am ET, which is available on YouTube or VBTV.
Media Contact
Jackie Skender
jskender@volleyball.ca
Mobile: 613-794-7676