Volleyball Canada – July 04, 2016:  Canada is off to a 2-1 start at the 2016 NORCECA Women’s Pan American Cup after beating Colombia and Venezuela on the weekend before falling to Puerto Rico on Monday in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
 
The results leave Canada in third place in the Group A standings with two games remaining in round robin play. They play the hosts on Tuesday before wrapping things up against Mexico on Wednesday.
 
“We had a good start with two wins,” said head coach Arnd Ludwig prior to Monday’s game against Puerto Rico.

“Our bench was key to success in the last two matches. All the players who came in did a very good job. I was very proud how my team stayed calm and composed despite the tight situations and managed to win.”

They opened the competition on Saturday against Colombia and came away with a 3-1 (25-21, 18-25, 25-16, 25-21) victory with Shainah Joseph of Ottawa, Ont., leading the way with 18 points that included one block and four aces on serve. The game was delayed at the start and in the first set from a power outage and a leaky roof from a rain storm, respectively.
 
The next day, Canada again was taken to four sets but managed to come away with a 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 31-29, 25-21) victory over Venezuela. Joseph was again one of the leaders with 15 points, including four aces. Danielle Brisebois of Caledon, Ont., however, led all scorers with 16 points, including five aces.
 
The winning streak came to an end on Monday when Canada came up against a Puerto Rico team that has qualified for this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio.
 
Canada lost 3-0 (19-25, 17-25, 19-25). Joseph led Canadian scorers with 13 points while Michaela Reesor chipped in with eight.
 
The group winners advance directly into the tournament’s semifinals while the second and third placed teams head into the quarterfinals in the knockout rounds.
 
In the 14 previous editions of this tournament, Canada has one medal, a bronze, that they won in the inaugural tournament in 2002 that took place in Tijuana, Mexico.
 For more, see www.norceca.net

Volleyball Canada media contact:
Jackie Skender
E-mail: jskender@volleyball.ca
Phone: 613.794.7676

photo: NORCECA