Volleyball Canada – Ottawa, Canada, June 9, 2018 – Germany fought off the home crowd favourites, Canada, to win 3-1 (25-23 25-22 20-25 25-19) in an exciting battle at the Arena at TD Place this evening.  It was the second day of Volleyball Nations League action in the Nation’s Capital. 
 
The Germans – who beat the U.S. 3-0 last night – continued their powerful volleyball play despite a comeback attempt in the third and early fourth set by Canada.
 
Simon Hirsch logged 16 spikes and an ace, and together with solid shows from Christian Fromm (10 points) and David Sossenheimer (12 points) the Germans are going into Sunday (when the play Australia) with swagger.
 
Unlike recent matches, Canada suffered from sloppy play, with 25 errors today.  
 
“We had opportunities, especially in the first set and I’m really not satisfied with our play. We weren’t aggressive enough, and we made a lot of mistakes,” said Canada’s coach Stephane Antiga. “No excuses at all, but we just weren’t ready to fight in the first set. We need to play better tomorrow, for sure. USA started bad tonight against Australia (then winning 1-3), but then we saw a reaction and they started serving better.  We are ready for them.”
 
There were bright spots – Stephen Maar (17 spikes and one block) once again scored consistently while Brad Gunter (12 points) and Nicholas Hoag (11 points) impressed the volleyball audience. 
 
Said captain TJ Sanders: “We didn’t start so strong tonight, but I think it was in the middle of the third set and ‘Let’s Go Canada’ started and it really helped us grind. This is a long tournament and we just got back from Argentina and there’s a lot going on. So, to have that support when up against a team like Germany means a lot. …. Tomorrow we’re going to bring a strong serving game and just battle.”

On Sunday, Germany plays Australia at 1 pm in Ottawa; while the Canadian match against the U.S. starts at 4 pm.

 “I think we played a great match, except the third set where we lost our rhythm, we lost our courage,” said Germany’s captain Christian Fromm. “I think we deserved the victory absolutely, and I’m proud that the guys who came in to help the team did a great job. Now I’m looking towards tomorrow to take another three points.”

• Stats and photos: http://www.volleyball.world/en/men/schedule/8984-canada-germany/post

Roster (Ottawa)
 
1 – TJ Sanders, London, ON (setter)
4 – Nicholas Hoag, Sherbrooke, QC (outside hitter)
5 – Lucas Van Berkel, Edmonton, AB (middle blocker)
7 – Stephen Maar, Aurora, ON (outside hitter)
8 – Jay Blankenau, Sherwood Park, AB (setter)
9 – Jason DeRocco, Winnipeg, MB (outside hitter)
12 – Gavin Schmitt, Saskatoon, SK (opposite)
13 – Ryley Barnes, Edmonton, AB (outside hitter)
15 – Bryan Duquette, St. Thomas, ON (libero)
16 – Ryan Sclater, Port Coquitlam, BC  (opposite)
17 – Graham Vigrass, Calgary, AB (middle blocker)
18 – Bradley Gunter, Comox, BC (opposite)
19 – Blair Bann, Edmonton, AB (libero)
20 – Arthur Szwarc, Toronto, ON (middle blocker)
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Media wishing to receive accreditation for the Volleyball Nations League matches in Ottawa, may submit requests to: media@volleyball.ca

About Volleyball Nations League
In both the men’s and women’s leagues, the 16 teams in each gender will compete first in round robin format. With a total of 260 matches played in the tournament, each team will play a minimum of 15 matches and each core nation will host at least one pool. There will be one combined standings table across all pools for each gender. In the men’s and women’s competition, the top five teams of the standings will join the hosts for the finals.  #VNL
 
Volleyball Canada
Jackie Skender
Director, Communications
613.794.7676
jskender@volleyball.ca
 
Venue media contact:
Michèle Dion mdion@oseg.ca