Day 4 Summary – ParaVolley PanAmerica Zonal Championship

May 12, 2023:  Brazil and the U.S. advance to the men’s final, to be held on Saturday, at the ParaVolley PanAmerica Zonal Championship (May 9 to 13) in Edmonton.

Brazil defeated Argentina 3-0 to advance; while Canada battled but fell to the U.S. men’s team in five close sets. The winner of the tournament will receive a berth to Paris 2024. 

Earlier today, Canada’s women’s team played an exhibition match with the U.S. Canada won in five sets. Yesterday the U.S. women won the best of five series to receive the Paralympic berth.

Post-match quotes:

Jeff Smith, head coach of Canada : “We played them really well earlier in the week, and we tailored our game plan for them. But we just came out on the wrong side today. Worlds (2022) was a turning point for our team where we realized we could play with the top five in the world. The equation for success wasn’t there today, but we’ve made a lot of progress.”

Doug Learoyd, captain of Canada’s men’s team: “It was a good battle. Hats off to the U.S. – they played really well. We also had a bunch of guys who stepped up and played well. We’re right there and it bodes well for the future. … This is a good group of guys with good chemistry. And the guys have bought in and put that trust in each other.”

Heidi Peters, player – Canada’s women’s team:  “Even though this is considered an exhibition match, it’s a huge learning opportunity for us.
“The USA bench is still really challenging as they are the best team in the world – 2 x Paralympic gold medalists – and they bring that competitive energy all the time. They never give up on the ball and I think we can learn from that. … I am really just proud of our performance overall. I’m excited for the next opportunity to qualify. Really the sky’s the limit for us!”

May 12 results:
Men’s Semifinal (Brazil vs. ARG) 3-0 (25-9, 25-12, 25-8)
W – CAN vs. USA (25-18, 18-25, 25-22, 20-25,15-11) (match 4 of 5)
Men’s Semifinal (Canada vs USA) 2-3 (19-25, 25-22, 25-27, 25-22, 12-15)

May 11:
M – USA v. ARG 3-1 (25-21, 23-25, 25-13, 25-15)
M – CAN v. BRA 0-3  (11-25, 18-25, 17-25)
W – CAN v. USA (22-25, 23-25, 25-19, 21-25)

May 10:
Men – BRA v. ARG 3-0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-11)
Women – CAN v. USA 1-3  (25-18, 16-25, 20-25,11-25)
Men – CAN vs. USA 1-3 (26-28, 22-25, 25-20, 23-25)

May 9 :
Men – BRA v. USA 3-1  (25-20, 22-25, 25-19, 25-23)
Men – CAN v. ARG  3-0 (25-11, 25-17, 25-11)
Women – CAN v. USA  2-3 (25-21, 25-18, 16-25, 17-25,12-15)

Schedule May 13:
11:00     BRONZE – Men          
13:30     GOLD – Men      
16:00     Final Match – Women       
Note: times are local (MT)

Matches are streamed at www.cbcsports.ca and on Volleyball Canada’s YouTube channel. Tickets are available at the door!
 
Canada men’s roster
#2 Mikael Bartholdy — Calgary, AB
#3 Austin Hinchey — Edmonton, AB
#5 Nasif Chowdhury — Toronto, ON
#6 Bryce Foster — Thunder Bay, ON
#7 Douglas Learoyd (C) — Calgary, AB
#9 Andrew Tucker — Brampton, ON
#10 Christopher Bird — Brandon, MB
#11 José Rebelo — Saint-Hubert, Que.
#12 Nicholas Aldrich — Toronto, ON
#14 Connor Compton — Calgary, ON
#19 Jason Beaman — Vancouver, BC
#20 Jesse Buckingham — Toronto, ON
 
Canada women’s roster
#2 Julie Kozun — Melfort, SK
#3 Danielle Ellis (C) — White Rock, BC
#4 Jennifer Oakes — Calgary, AB
#5 Payden Vair — Cardston, AB
#6 Angelena Dolezar — St. Albert, AB
#7 Anne Fergusson — Carleton Place, ON
#9 Sarah Melenka — Vegreville, AB
#10 Jayme Lepp — Vancouver, BC
#11 Heidi Peters — Neerlandia, AB
#14 Katelyn Wright — Edmonton, AB
#15 Felicia Voss-Shafiq — Burnaby, BC
#16 Jennifer McCreesh — Smithers, BC
#17 Allison Lang — Edmonton, AB
 

• ParaVolley Pan America: https://paravolleypanam.com
• Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pvpa-wpv/albums
   

Volleyball Canada Media Contact:
Jackie Skender
jskender@volleyball.ca
Mobile: 613-794-7676