June 15, 2024: Team Canada recovered from its Volleyball Nations League loss to Netherlands to sweep France early on Saturday in Fukuoka, Japan.

The final score was Canada 3 France 0 (25-14, 25-18, 31-29), with France pushing Canada into overtime points from a tie at 24 in the third set. After multiple match-point opportunities, Canada’s Kiera Van Ryk, who scored 26 points today, ended the contest with the final kill at 31-29.

Canada dominated in attacks (53-33), and led in blocks (12-7), while France had more aces (6-3) and made fewer errors (13-16).

Head coach Shannon Winzer reflected on the match and the emotions of the final week of the preliminary phase of VNL: “This game was more than just a game against France or the last game of VNL … it was about showing our team’s true character after a gutting loss to Netherlands that ended our Olympic qualification run, it was about showing up for each other again when it’s hard. This team should be nothing but proud of what they’ve done this quad. We appreciate all the support from everyone back home.”

This was the second narrow margin for Olympic qualification by this gutsy squad – at last year’s Olympic Qualification Tournament, Canada’s women’s team narrowly missed earning a spot in Paris, coming a close third in their pool. This time around, Canada needed to edge ahead of Netherlands in the rankings to put the team in contention for a position to qualify for Paris 2024. (NOTE: the final spot will be decided after all preliminary matches are played). 

The women’s final preliminary phase wraps up on Sunday, but Canada has completed all of its 12 matches with seven wins and five losses.

VNL continues: The top eight teams as per the ranking system at the end of the preliminary phase advance to the final phase (quarterfinals) in Thailand. The host of the event will have a guaranteed berth for the final phase.

Schedule and results can be found here: https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/volleyball-nations-league/

The Canadian men’s team enters its final VNL week, playing Japan on June 18 in the Philippines, with no changes to its roster.

Viewers Guide:

• All matches are streamed on VBTV and CBC Sports and CBC Gem.
• -VNL Web site: https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/volleyball-nations-league/

Seven women’s teams are already qualified for the Games. The remaining five places are filled by selecting the top five not yet qualified teams in the FIVB World Ranking as of the end of the preliminary phase of Volleyball Nations League. Info: https://bit.ly/3xfcDB0

VNL Roster 
Brie O’Reilly – Langley, BC
Courtney Baker – Bridgewater, NS
Emily Maglio – Coquitlam, BC
Jazmine White – Oshawa, ON
Alicia Ogoms – Winnipeg, MB
Layne Van Buskirk – Windsor, ON
Alexa Gray (C) – Calgary, AB
Hilary Johnson – Calgary, AB
Andrea Mitrovic – Mississauga, ON
Vicky Savard – Jonquière, QC
Kiera Van Ryk – Surrey, BC
Shainah Joseph – Ottawa, ON
Julia Murmann – Toronto, ON
Kacey Jost – St. Albert, AB

Staff:
Shannon Winzer – Head Coach
Vincenzo Mallia – Asst. Coach
Matt Krueger – Asst. Coach
Kevin Valcke – Physiotherapist
Gabriele Tortorici – Statistician
Rob Hooper – IST Lead
Hilary Mallinger – Physiotherapist
Roger Friesen – Mental Performance Coach
Julien Boucher – High Performance Director
Jennah Paron – Team Coordinator

Media Contact:

Jackie Skender
jskender@volleyball.ca
Mobile: 613-794-7676