Sept. 24, 2023: Canada finishes the Women’s Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament on a high note with a 3-0 win over Czechia (25-20, 25-19, 25-21) on Sunday in Ningbo, China.
The solid win was bittersweet, as Canada finishes third out of eight teams in Pool A with the top two teams earning a berth to Paris 2024.
“It’s nice to finish on a high versus Czechia and take out a 3-0 win to get maximum points for the match,” said head coach Shannon Winzer. “I am proud of this team, it’s an honour to be a part of this journey. We have taken another step forward this summer and finished with a record of 5-2 in a very tough pool. It won’t be enough to book our ticket to Paris but we are in a good place to get there on points next summer.”
Dominican Republic ended the tournament with a 6-1 record in Pool A, only faltering on the opening day of the tournament against Czechia in five sets. Serbia finishes a 5-2, after losing to China today, but had earned more points than Canada to end up second overall. Canada’s losses came against these top two teams.
Canada was third in the pool, followed by China, Netherlands, Ukraine, Czechia and Mexico.
Türkiye won Pool B with a perfect 7-0 record; Brazil was second to also book a spot in Paris. Pool C is still underway in Poland, with USA, Italy and Poland currently in the top 3.
There is still a chance for Canada to go to Paris via the ranking system, but the additional teams won’t be decided until next June.
Canada’s results (NINGBO, CHINA)
CAN-CZE 3-0 (25-20,25-19, 25-21)
CAN-MEX 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-17)
CAN-UKR 3-1 (25-22, 23-25, 25-12, 25-11)
CHN-CAN 2-3 (26-28, 25-15, 23-25, 25-22, 15-17)
SRB-CAN 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-21)
DOM-CAN 3-2 (25-17, 22-25, 23-25, 25-18, 15-12)
NED-CAN 2-3 (30-32, 25-19, 25-15, 17-25, 13-15)
OQT standings can be found here:
https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/volleyball-olympic-qualifying-tournament/standings/women/
Each OQT pool is played in a single round robin format and is ranked per the standard team rankings system. There are three pools and the top two ranked teams per pool qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.Full schedule is here.
The men’s tournament is Sept. 30 to Oct. 08, with Canada also competing in China.
Team Canada:
3 – Kiera Van Ryk, Surrey, BC
4 – Vicky Savard, Jonquière, QC
5 – Julia Murmann, Toronto, ON
6 – Jazmine White, Oshawa, ON
8 – Alicia Ogoms, Winnipeg, MB
9 – Alexa Gray, Calgary, AB
11 – Andrea Mitrovic, Mississauga, ON
13 – Brie King, Langley, BC
14 – Hilary Howe, Calgary, AB
15 – Shaïnah Joseph, Ottawa, ON
17 – Kacey Jost, St. Albert, AB
19 – Emily Maglio, Coquitlam, B.C.
21 – Avery Heppell, Langley, B.C.
26 – Quinn Pelland, Wanham, AB
Head coach: Shannon Winzer
Vincenzo Mallia – Asst. coach
Matt Krueger – Asst. coach
Kevin Valcke – Physiotherapist
Gabriele Tortorici – Statistician
Rob Hooper – IST lead
Hilary Mallinger – Physiotherapist
Roger Friesen – Mental performance coach
Julien Boucher – High performance director
Jennah Paron – Team coordinator
Volleyball Canada Media Contact:
Jackie Skender
jskender@volleyball.ca
Mobile: 613-794-7676
Photos: Volleyball World
