CCAA All-Canadian Tournier earns Junior National Team roster spot for U21 Pan Am Cup

Following training at the National Team Training Centre in Gatineau, QC, 19 aspiring athletes battled it out for 12 spots on the U21 Men’s Pan Am Cup roster. The team departed May 1, to head to the 2019 NORCECA U21 Pan Am Cup, May 2-12 in Lima, Peru.

Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Canadian Alexis Tournier of the Griffons de l’Outaouais has been named to the squad.

Tournier led the Griffons to a silver medal in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) this season and a wildcard berth at the 2019 CCAA Men’s Volleyball National Championship, hosted by Red Deer College in Alberta. At CCAA Nationals, Tournier was named a Second Team All-Star. 

In his third season with Outaouais, Tournier led the RSEQ with 71 service aces and ranked second in the conference with 5.18 points per set and 3.89 kills per set.

Seadon Pereira, an Athletic Therapist for the Niagara Knights of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA), is a member of the team staff.

The Canadian team joins Peru, Colombia and Chile in Group B, while United States, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Dominican Republic make up Group A. The eight-team tournament consists of pool play May 5-7 followed by quarter-finals (May 8), semi-finals (May 9), and finals on May 10. The matches will be played at Manuel Bonilla Coliseum of Miraflores, which has been site of many international volleyball competitions held in Peru.

“After an abbreviated selection process, we are excited for the chance to represent Canada at this tournament. The group is eager to wear the Maple Leaf and compete against some very good teams,” said assistant coach, Adam Simac.

Canada will be looking to qualify for the 2019 U21 FIVB World Championship at this event.

Following the tournament, the Junior National Team will enter phase two of its program including an open selection camp from May 15-20, 2019.

Tournament schedule

-With files from Volleyball Canada