Canadian men rebound at volleyball worlds with 3-set sweep of China
CBC Sports | Posted: August 29, 2022 5:53 PM | Last Updated: August 29, 2022
Will take 1-1 record into Wednesday's round-robin match against Turkey in Slovenia
Canada's men's volleyball team recovered from a sweep at the hands of Italy in its world championship opener by defeating China 25-23, 25-21, 25-23 in Pool E action on Monday in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
"I'm happy with the 3-0 win; that matters for a lot of reasons," Canada head coach Ben Josephson said in a statement released by Volleyball Canada. "Fatigue and recovery in this tournament are a big deal as well we know there are a lot of teams vying to get into the next round and every set will matter.
"Most importantly, we were able to build on that third set we played with Italy [that went to 39-37 on Saturday]."
Italy also prevailed 25-13, 25-18 in the first two sets.
"We are getting better and that's what we need to do for Turkey [on Wednesday]," Josephson said. "We've got 48 hours to recover and prepare and hopefully continue to get better with each set of this tournament."
WATCH | Full match replay: Canada vs. China:
Against China, Canada prevailed on attack points (41-35), service aces (5-3) and made fewer errors, but China led in blocking points (7-4).
Ryan Sclater led the Canadians in scoring with 16 points.
The competition, also held in Poland, sees 24 teams spread across six pools of four, playing in a single round-robin format. The top two nations in each pool and the four best third-placed teams will qualify for the elimination round.
WATCH | Canada swept by Italy on Saturday:
Canada's roster
- #3 — Derek Epp - Saskatoon
- #4 — Nicholas Hoag – Sherbrooke, Que. (captain)
- #5 — Eric Loeppky – Steinbach, Man.
- #7 — Stephen Maar – Aurora, Ont.
- #8 — Brett Walsh - Calgary
- #10 — Ryan Sclater - Port Coquitlam, B.C.
- #11 — Pearce Eshenko – Banff, Alta.
- #12 — Lucas Van Berkel – Edmonton
- #17 — Ryley Barnes - St. Paul, Alta.
- #19 — Brodie Hofer – Langley, B.C.
- #20 — Arthur Szwarc – Toronto
- #21 — Jackson Howe – Calgary
- #22 — Steven Marshall – Abbotsford, B.C.
- #24 — Mathias Elser – Calgary
Assistant Coach: Joe Trinsey
Assistant Coach: Mike Hawkins
Strength & Conditioning: Mike Cook
Assistant Coach: Mike Hawkins
Strength & Conditioning: Mike Cook