Canada improves to 2-0 at NORCECA men's Final 6 volleyball tournament in Edmonton
Canadians beat Dominican Republic 3-1, will face Cuba on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET
The Canadian men's volleyball team improved to 2-0 at the NORCECA Pan American Cup Final Six tournament in Edmonton on Wednesday by defeating the Dominican Republic 3-1 (21-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-22).
Team captain Isaac Heslinga led Canada with 16 points on 14 attacks, one block and one ace as the young squad rebounded from a slow start. Isaiah Mamer added 13 points, while Cory Schoenherr and Reeve Gingera each had 12.
Canada pulled away in the second set with the score tied at 12, winning three straight sets to close out the match at the Edmonton Expo Centre. Heslinga stuffed Erisandy Castillo for the game-winning block as the home crowd erupted.
The roster is comprised of Volleyball Canada NextGen Program players and athletes that played on Canada's 11th-place team at the U21 world championship in Bahrain in July.
WATCH | Canada defeats Dominican Republic:
Canada led the Dominican Republic in attack points (60-42), while the Dominicans outblocked Canada 12-11. The Dominican Republic scored 27 points on Canadian errors and gave up 23.
"Consistency is important for us. We are still learning to work together and find our team dynamic," Heslinga said in a release. "I feel we are coming together slowly, and I'm excited to see what we can do for the rest of the week."
The Dominican Republic's Adrián Figueroa Lantigua led all scorers with 19 points on 18 attacks and one block.
The Dominican Republic (0-2) will look for its first win in the six-team tournament on Thursday against Mexico, which holds a 1-1 record after getting swept by the 2-0 United States earlier on Wednesday. Puerto Rico, also sitting at 0-2, faces the Americans in Thursday's first match.
Canada opened the tournament with a 3-1 win over Puerto Rico on Tuesday. All six teams will face each other in round-robin play ahead of Sunday's first-place, third-place and fifth-place matches.
WATCH | Canada tops Puerto Rico in opener:
Canada roster
- Christopher Byam — Bow Island, Alta.
- Jonah Dueck — Rosenort, Man.
- Reeve Gingera — Calgary
- Mason Greves — Calgary
- Isaac Heslinga — Orangeville, Ont.
- Zachary Hollands — Victoriaville, Que.
- Liam Kristjanson — Oak River, Man.
- Isaiah Mamer — Wilkie, Sask.
- Darian Picklyk — Winnipeg
- Jonathan Portelance — Sherbrooke, Que.
- Jacob Sargent — Lethbridge, Alta.
- Kaden Schmidt — Mississauga, Ont.
- Cory Schoenherr — Waterloo, Ont.
- James Vincett — Calgary
