February 29, 2020 – Canada’s women’s sitting volleyball team earned a berth in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games today after a win over Ukraine at the World ParaVolley Women’s Paralympic Qualifier at the Canada Games Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
“I think we came out, we followed our game plan and we were ready to compete; I’m just really proud of the team,” said Canada’s head coach Nicole Ban. “It’s all kind of real now!”
Canada controlled the match early on, but Ukraine came back fighting and leading most of the third set. The Canadians kept their composure and tied it up late in the match to win 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-23). They finished with a 6-0 record at the tournament overall.
Ban continued: “I think we’ve come a long way; you can see it in our systems and our play. We’ve really focused on serving and passing and again I’m proud of them.”
Heidi Peters, who led the team in scoring with eight points, said: “We have prepared so much for this, especially the last four months. We have a remarkable staff and athletes. I feel really good about my performance here, as well as the whole team’s effort.”
“It’s a huge success to have a tournament on home soil, and we’re really grateful that Halifax was able to make that happen.”
This will be the women’s sitting team’s second appearance in the Paralympic Games – the team finished seventh in 2016 in Rio. Ukraine was fourth in Rio.
Earlier today, Slovenia beat Germany in five sets to claim bronze. Only the winner (Canada) earned the Tokyo berth.
Roster
#2 Julie Kozun, Melfort, SK
#3 Danielle Ellis, White Rock, BC (captain)
#4 Jennifer Oakes, Calgary, AB
#5 Payden Olsen, Cardston, AB
#7 Annie Fergusson, Carleton Place, ON
#8 Jolan Wong, Vermilion, AB
#9 Sarah Melenka, Vegreville, AB
#11 Heidi Peters, Neerlandia, AB
#12 Amber Skyrpan, Wandering River, AB
#14 Katelyn Wright, Edmonton, AB
#15 Felicia Voss-Shafiq, Burnaby, BC
Staff
Nicole Ban (head coach)
Christine Biggs (assistant coach)
Kate Rozendaal (assistant coach)
Yung Yung Wong (therapist)
Lauren Demers (therapist)
Erin Brennan (team manager)
Kerry MacDonald (Director, Sport Science, Medicine and Innovation)
Full Schedule and Results (Atlantic time):
February 26
11:00 am Canada vs Slovenia 3-0 (25-10, 25-17, 25-15)
1:00 pm Ukraine vs Germany 3-2 (24-26, 25-13, 25-10, 14-25, 15-5)
6:00 pm Slovenia vs Finland 3-1 (23-25, 25-21, 26-24, 25-13)
8:00 pm Canada vs Germany 3-1 (24-26, 25-21, 25-23, 25-22)
February 27 (free admission)
11:00 am Ukraine vs Finland 3-2 (20-25, 25-12, 20-25, 25-17, 15-7)
1:00 pm Slovenia vs Germany 2-3 (25-21, 19-25, 25-16, 22-25, 10-15)
6:00 pm Canada vs Ukraine 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-21)
8:00 pm Finland vs Germany 1-3 (27-25, 10-25, 13-25, 20-25)
February 28
11:00 am Ukraine vs. Slovenia 3-1 (19-25, 25-23, 25-9, 25-16)
1:00 pm Canada vs Finland 3-0 (25-6, 25-10, 25-22)
6:00 pm Semifinals: Ukraine vs Germany 3-2 ( 21-25, 20-25, 25-18, 25-19, 15-8)
8:00 pm Semifinals: Canada vs Slovenia 3-0 (25-13, 25-9, 25-17)
February 29
1:00 pm Germany vs. Slovenia 2-3 (25-10, 25-21, 20-25, 20-25, 14-16)
3:00 pm Canada vs. Ukraine 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-23). – gold medal match
Volleyball Canada media contact:
Jackie Skender jskender@volleyball.ca
Mobile: 613-794-7676