Volleyball Canada – Canada’s women’s national team is heading to Turkey to ramp up preparation for the 2018 FIVB World Championships, which will be held in Japan (beginning September 29).
 
The road to the Worlds begins this week in Istanbul, where the team will play and train until Aug. 23, and following that the women head to Rimini, Italy. Canada’s head coach, Marcello Abbondanza, is Italian, and has previously coached professionally in Turkey. 
 
On this tour, the women will play friendly matches against Turkey (world ranked 12), Bulgaria (17), and Germany (13). Canada is currently ranked 19.
 
“I was pleased that we have had some success in our zone (NORCECA) earlier this summer, with the bronze medal at the Pan Am Cup,” said Abbondanza. “Now I’m looking forward to this tour to focus and enhance our training for the Worlds, which is our most important and challenging tournament this year.”
 
Volleyball Canada thanks the tour supporters: Turkish volleyball federation president Akif Ustundag, coach Giovanni Guidetti and the Turkish Sport Federation. The Italian portion of the tour is supported by Volley Project, SGR Rimini, and Rimini Municipal (Regione Emilia-Romagna and its president Stefano Bonaccini).
 
The team will return to its home base in Richmond, B.C., for final Worlds’ preparation in September. Note: The World Championship roster is yet to be determined.
 
Women’s Team Roster (Aug. 2018 tour)

#  Name      (Position)      Hometown
1  Jessie Niles (libero), Turner Valley, AB
2  Autumn Bailey (outside hitter) Burlington, ON
4   Kyla Richey (outside hitter)) Roberts Creek, BC
5   Danielle Smith (setter) Beaverlodge, AB
6   Alissa Coulter (outside hitter) Calgary, AB
7   Brianna Beamish (outside hitter) Surrey, BC
8   Alicia Ogoms (middle) Winnipeg, MB
9   Alexa Gray (outside hitter) Calgary, AB
11 Anna Feore (libero) Stratford, ON
12 Jennifer Cross (middle) Scarborough, ON
16  Shainah Joseph (right side) Ottawa, ON
18  Kim Robitaille (setter) Repentigny, QC
19  Marie-Alex Bélanger (outside hitter) Saint-Alphonse-Rodriguez, QC
22  Megan Cyr (setter) St. Andrews, MB
23  Emily Maglio (middle) Cranbrook, BC
25  Kiera  Van Ryk (right side) Surrey, BC
 
Head Coach: Marcello Abbondanza 
Assistant Coaches: Vincenzo Mallia, Richard Schick, Rossano Bertocco
Therapist: Thiago Menon
Statistician : Tommaso Barbato

Volleyball Canada
Jackie Skender
Director, Communications
613.794.7676
jskender@volleyball.ca