Recap: Toronto’s Beach Nationals Weekend

August 22, 2023: This past weekend, Volleyball Canada’s Beach National Championships took place at Ashbridges Bay in Toronto, where more than 300 youth and senior teams competed for the title of national champion. To raise the stakes, the senior men’s and women’s teams were playing for their share of a $20,000 purse and the U20 teams had a chance to qualify for the upcoming U21 world championships.

In the senior men’s final, defending national champions Sam Schachter/Daniel Dearing took on Jake MacNeil/Alex Russell. With the title up for grabs, Dearing decided to host a block party, continually putting a wall in front of the opposition, helping his team to a two-set victory 21-17, 21-13. It was gold for Schachter/Dearing.

Afterward, Schachter lauded his partner’s performance. “We’re just so grateful and excited to be able to play at home in front of this crowd,” he said. “Dan blocked unbelievably well and he was a presence here today!”

Dearing reflected on the opportunity to play at Ashbridges Bay, where he coaches youth beach volleyball with Schachter throughout the summer. “It’s fun to play in front of our friends and family,” he said. “We’ve been spoiled this year and we’ve been able to play at home in a few tournaments, including Vancouver, Edmonton and Montreal.”

In the men’s third-place match, Max Losier/Robert Kemp bested Zach van Geel/Jacob van Geel in two sets (21-16, 21-16), bringing home the bronze.

On the senior women’s side, Heather Bansley/Sophie Bukovec were the favourites, entering the tournament with a wealth of international experience. They matched up with Marie-Alex Belanger and Lea Monkhouse in the final. In the end, Belanger/Monkhouse played spoiler, snatching gold in a dramatic three-setter (21-19, 10-21, 15-13).

Belanger said her squad jelled during the tournament. “I’m really satisfied with how we played the whole weekend,” she said. “It’s our second event together so it’s a really new partnership and it’s really exciting to see the potential this team has.”

For Monkhouse, it was great playing in front of familiar faces. “I got a bit emotional,” she said. “I haven’t played Nationals too much in recent years, so it was a lot of fun to have family come out and cheer us on.”

Akash Grewal/Nicole McNamara brought home bronze with a two-set win (21-19, 21-17) over Furlan/Dunn. If you missed it, a stream of the senior medal rounds can be found on the Volleyball Canada YouTube page.

The men’s and women’s U20 athletes were fighting for a spot at the U21 World Championships, which take place in Thailand from November 7 to 12. On the men’s side, Colin Lash/Charlie Ellinas punched their ticket to Thailand, while Ruby Sorra/Emma Glagau did the same in the women’s bracket.

The other youth players, ranging from 14U to 18U, competed for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards. Full brackets and winners can be found here. Plus, here’s a link to a stream of the youth medal rounds.

This tournament featured a total of 343 youth and senior teams. And there’s more action this week. From August 25 to 27, a 14U-16U national championships will take place at Spanish Banks East in Vancouver, featuring a total of 94 youth teams.

Part of our photography crew this year included @mgb4sports whose new Giving-Back Initiative is donating 100 percent of the net proceeds from purchased photo downloads to non-profit sports organizations, you can make a difference : Details at www.mgb4sports.com  Follow @mgb4sports on Instagram for updates.

Volleyball Canada thanks its sponsors Left on Friday, Mikasa, Jumplete and Nothers – the award store, among other valued partners and vendors.

Volleyball Canada also acknowledges the Government of Ontario’s contribution to this event. 

Volleyball Canada Media Contact:
Jackie Skender
jskender@volleyball.ca
Mobile: 613-794-7676

Photo above by Michael Chisholm