July 02, 2022: Team Canada’s record is now 1-2 for week 3 of Volleyball Nations League (VNL) with a 1-3 loss (19-25, 25-19, 25-27, 23-25) to Germany Saturday night at the 7 Chiefs Sportsplex on Tsuut’ina Nation, near Calgary, Alberta.

After a thrilling victory over Turkiye on Tuesday, Canada found the early going tough for a second straight match before scrapping back to take the second set. But, finding a rhythm proved tough and the Germans took advantage earning wins in sets three and four to claim victory.

“I thought it was pretty inconsistent on our end. We went through a slow start pretty much every single set, and we played catch up the whole time and at this level that’s really hard,” said head coach Shannon Winzer post-match before adding the prospect of seizing a playoff spot wasn’t a distraction. “I don’t think we were uptight. I don’t think we feel any pressure right now. I think we’re playing pretty free. We know that we are already qualified for VNL next year so we’re not feeling that pressure at the moment.”

Hometown athlete Alexa Gray led all scorers in the game with 26 points. Kiera Van Ryk finished the game with 22 points, captain Jennifer Cross was next with a dozen.

“I think we battled, but I think we’re kind of feeling the fatigue of the tournament,” said Cross shortly after the match ended. “But we fought to the very end and that’s what I want our team to do. Germany got the best of us today, but I think – we didn’t have our best showing – but we fought to the end so what else can you ask for.”

Canada, 4-7, takes on the Netherlands tomorrow (5 pm MT) to close out the schedule and the focus is on finishing on a positive note.

“We don’t get to play in Canada very often, so any opportunity to play in Canada – whether it’s to make quarters, stay out of relegation, or just for placing – is important to us,” said Cross. “We want to play our best and playing in front of the home crowd is amazing!”

Also ahead Sunday, Belgium faces Japan at 11 am MT, the U.S. plays Germany at 2 pm MT. Earlier Saturday, in Alberta, the United States edged Turkiye in an exciting five sets and Serbia bested Japan in four sets.

Roster (week 3):

#13 Brie King, Surrey, BC
#12 Jennifer Cross (Captain), Scarborough, ON
#19 Emily Maglio, Coquitlam, BC
#6 Jazmine White, Oshawa, ON
#14 Hilary Howe, Calgary, AB
#11 Andrea Mitrovic, Mississauga, ON
#9  Alexa Gray, Calgary, AB
#16 Caroline Livingston, Kelowna, BC
#3  Kiera Van Ryk, Surrey, BC
#25 Sydney Grills, Vancouver, BC
#5 Julia Murmann, Toronto, ON
#8 Alicia Ogoms, Winnipeg, MB
#20 Arielle Palermo, Burlington, ON
#10 Courtney Baker, Bridgewater, NS

• Tickets: www.showpass.com

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

Tournament web site:
https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/vnl-2022

Tickets: 
https://www.showpass.com/o/volleyball-nations-league-calgary/

Photo: Volleyball World