August 02, 2023: Twelve teams are ready to compete at the 20th Women’s Volleyball Pan American Cup from August 6-13 in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Canada’s team is a mix of senior and up-and-coming athletes (see roster below) led by Head Coach Shannon Winzer. The Canadians kick off the tournament on Sunday.
“The Pan Am Cup is an important competition for us,” said Winzer. “We will have the opportunity to try different lineups in preparation for NORCECA Championships (to be held in Quebec City in late August) and Olympic Qualifiers (in China) and ensure that our whole roster is in our absolute best form going into the most important stage of the summer. This is also a great opportunity for some of our NextGen athletes to test themselves as they look to push into the Senior A team.”
Teams are divided in two groups, with Group A consisting of Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Peru, United States and Suriname, and in Group B of Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico and host Puerto Rico.
The first-place finisher in each group will advance directly to the semifinals, second and third places will play in the quarterfinal round.
The preliminary round runs from August 6-10 with six daily matches; quarterfinals, classification round for positions 7-10 and final classification for positions 11-12 will be played on August 11. The semifinals, classification round for positions 5-8 and final classification for positions 9-10 on August 12. The final day of competition on August 13 will start with the final classification for positions 7-10 and 5-6, followed by the bronze and gold medal matches.
Tournament info: www.norceca.net
Canada’s roster
Quinn Pelland, Wanham, AB
Averie Allard, Winnipeg, MB
Caroline Livingston (Captain), Kelowna, BC
Hilary Howe, Calgary, AB
Andrea Mitrovic, Mississauga, ON
Vicky Savard, Jonquière, QC
Shainah Joseph, Ottawa, ON
Sydney Grills, Vancouver, BC
Layne Van Buskirk, Windsor, ON
Alicia Ogoms, Winnipeg, MB
Nyadholi Thokbuom, Calgary, AB
Avery Heppell, Langley, BC
Julia Murmann, Toronto, ON
Kacey Jost, St. Albert, AB
Staff:
Shannon Winzer – Head coach
Vincenzo Mallia – Assistant coach
Matt Krueger – Assistant coach
Gabriele Tortorici – Performance analyst
Kevin Valcke – Physiotherapist
Robert Hooper – Strength & Conditioning
Dale Melnick – Team Lead
Volleyball Canada Media Contact:
Jackie Skender
jskender@volleyball.ca
Mobile: 613-794-7676