Volleyball Canada and the Canadian Paralympic Committee announced on Monday, July 22, the nomination of 12 athletes that will represent Canada in women’s sitting volleyball at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
The team features Angelena Dolezar, Danielle Ellis, Anne Fergusson, Julie Kozun, Allison Lang, Jennifer McCreesh, Sarah Melenka, Jennifer Oakes, Heidi Peters, Felicia Voss-Shafiq, Jolan Wong, and Katelyn Wright.
With nine athletes returning from the Tokyo 2020 squad, Canada is set to build on its best-ever Paralympic finish, a fourth-place showing. Notably, seven of these players, including captain Danielle Ellis, will be competing in their third Paralympics. Anne Fergusson and Julie Kozun are back for their second Games, while Allison Lang, Jennifer McCreesh, and Sarah Melenka will make their Paralympic debuts.
This team’s journey includes earning a historic silver medal at the 2022 World Championships and a recent gold at the Dutch Tournament in Assen, Netherlands, defeating Brazil in a thrilling five-set final.
“We are excited to announce our roster for the Paris 2024 Paralympics. We cannot wait for the three first-time Paralympic athletes named to this roster to have the title of Paralympian. The ability to compete on the biggest stage, representing Canada, while showing the world what is possible is something this team embraces and looks forward to doing to the best of their abilities,” coach Nicole Ban said.
“We will be leaning on the experience of most of our group, who will be heading to their third Paralympics and are motivated to improve our previous performances. Knowing that the most difficult challenges are yet to come, we look forward to embracing the difficulty and competing at what is sure to be an incredible Paralympic Games in Paris.”
Canada qualified for Paris 2024 by advancing to the semifinals at the 2023 WPV Sitting Volleyball World Cup in Cairo, Egypt. This marked the third consecutive Paralympic appearance for Canada’s women’s sitting volleyball team.
The sitting volleyball competition at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will be held from August 29 to September 7 at North Paris Arena. Canada’s preliminary matches are scheduled against Slovenia on August 29, Brazil on August 31, and Rwanda on September 2, with semifinals on September 5 and medal matches on September 7.
