Oct. 04, 2023: Team Canada dashed China’s hopes of a home-court win today at the Men’s Olympic Qualification Tournament (OQT) Pool C in Xi’an, China.
China 0, Canada 3 (19-25, 22-25, 24-26)
It wasn’t a cakewalk for the North American side, but the team managed a full-points victory.
“It was a very important win for qualification, and it was important for us to win 3-0,” said two-time Olympian and team captain, Nicholas Hoag.
“The guys stayed really focused, despite being tired from the long and extensive match against Poland yesterday. We kept going back to the game plan and making those break points when we needed them most. So super happy with the win. Our fate is in our own hands, but we have Bulgaria and Belgium who have been playing really well and those will be two very tough games. And then Mexico to finish off (the tournament) and they are a scrappy team with good defense.”
Today, Stephen Maar scored 20 points for Canada, with four coming from the service line. Teammate Eric Loeppky was again strong offensively with 17 points, and middle blocker Jordan Schnitzer made an impact with 10 points.
Chinese outside hitters Yuantai Yu (14 points) and Jingyin Zhang (12 points) led the home team in scoring.
Overall, Canada led in most statistics, but China held an advantage in blocking points (5-3). Full stats : https://bit.ly/46gco4Y
“We knew it was going to be a difficult game today, because there was a different type of pressure as we knew we needed the win,” said Canada’s head coach Tuomas Sammelvuo. “China caused us a lot of problems in attack, and we were just a little better and that was the key. And we were able to close the sets, so good work from the team. As I say after every game, now we recover and focus on our next opponent, which will be a difficult game against a very physical Bulgaria.”
The team has a day off tomorrow, and play Bulgaria on Oct. 06, but this is 10 pm ET on Oct. 05. Canada is 3-1, currently sitting at second in Pool C. China is 1-3 (their win came against Mexico).
The round-robin tournament runs until October 8. Men’s Pool C includes Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland and hosts China will race for two spots at Paris 2024.
Previous Results:
(Oct. 03) POL 3, CAN 2 (21-25, 25-20, 25-20, 20-25, 17-15).
(Oct. 01) ARG 1, CAN 3 (25-27, 22-25, 25-23,15-25).
(Sept. 29) NED 2, CAN 3 (21-25, 25-23, 26-24, 18-25, 12-15).
For more on the qualification system, visit https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/volleyball-olympic-qualifying-tournament/competition/qualification-system
Viewers’ guide
Men’s Roster (OQT)
1 Pearson Eshenko, Banff, AB
2 Luke Herr, Winnipeg, MB
4 Nicholas Hoag, Sherbrooke, QC
5 Brodie Hofer, Langley, BC
6 Danny Demyanenko, Toronto, ON
7 Stephen Maar, Aurora, ON
8 Brett Walsh, Calgary, AB
12 Lucas Van Berkel, Edmonton, AB
13 Samuel Cooper, Hamilton, ON
14 Arthur Szwarc, Toronto, ON
16 Jordan Schnitzer, Surrey, BC
18 Justin Lui, Pickering, ON
20 Jordan Canham, Avonmore, ON
80 Eric Loeppky, Steinbach, MB
97 Landon Currie, Coldstream, BC
Staff:
Head Coach: Tuomas Sammelvuo
Assistant Coach: Joao Paulo Bravo
Assistant Coach: Michael Hawkins
Strength and Conditioning: Michael Cook
Athletic Therapist: Melissa Healy
Chiropractor: Abery Avender
Performance Analyst: Lionel Bonnaure
Team Manager: Cassandra Nicol
High-Performance Director: Julien Boucher
Volleyball Canada Media Contact:
Jackie Skender
jskender@volleyball.ca
Mobile: 613-794-7676
Photo: Volleyball World
