September 29, 2021: It was a tough final match for Canada, as Puerto Rico won a tight contest 3-0 (25-21, 28-26, 25-23) on Wednesday in Durango, Mexico, for 15th and 16th position at the 2021 FIVB Girls’ U18 World Championship.
“Today we played with pride and energy but could not get the result we wanted,” said Canada’s coach, Scott Koskie of Manitoba.
It was a challenging tournament for the Canadian team, falling to many powerful volleyball nations, such as Italy and Serbia. “In each of our last three matches you could see our opportunities for success increase and we put ourselves in situations where we could win sets.” said Koskie. “We are better at the end than we were at the start and this is a testament to the spirit of the players on this team. International volleyball is demanding, and this team now has experiences to take back to the NEP (National Excellence Program) and continue the process of getting better. Representing Canada on the international stage is always special. I am proud and grateful for the opportunity to work with this group of fine athletes and people.”
- Full roster can be found here.
Russia and Italy will play for U18 gold, while Serbia and the U.S. will battle for the bronze. Twenty teams were entered in the tournament.
Tournament web site:
https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/girls-u18-world-championship-2021/schedule/
U21 Men Win Second in a Row
September 29, 2021: Canada beat Cuba 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-17) in the last Pool H match at Levski Sofia Volleyball Hall in Bulgaria on Wednesday, and both teams advance to keep battling for the ninth place at the FIVB Volleyball U21 Men’s World Championship 2021.
Opposite Samuel Cooper contributed 12 points to Canada’s victory. The only other player to reach the double digits in the match was Cuba’s outside Victor Andreu, with 10 points. In this all-NORCECA clash, Cuba scored nine kill blocks, against six by the opponents, but Canada did better in all other point-scoring elements, including serving (3-0).
“I think we played very well as a team. We served well, we passed well, we played for each other and that was important. Everybody did his job,” Canadian middle blocker James Vincett told Volleyball World.
Canada beat Bahrain on Monday – the Canadian team is still in the hunt to win this second stage for ninth place and plays Thailand on Thursday.
Event web site:
https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/men-u21-world-championship-2021/schedule/
Livestream: Volleyball World YouTube Channel
Volleyball Canada media contact:
Jackie Skender
Mobile: 613.794.7676