Canada to offer different look in Final Six of World League volleyball
Coach Stephane Antiga says men's team needs to be more 'aggressive, active'
The coach for Canada's indoor men's volleyball team says it's time for his young charges to scale back their respect of elite opposition as they enter the Final Six of FIVB World League.
The Canadians begin play Tuesday (CBCSports.ca, 2:05 p.m. ET) against the host Brazilians in Curitiba after dropping a four-set match to the reigning Olympic champions in Varna, Bulgaria during the preliminary round.
"Each game is a lesson," Stephane Antiga said last week in an email to CBC Sports. "We need to be more aggressive and active against the big teams. We were maybe respecting them too much."
The Canadians also succumbed in straight sets to France, which has won four of the five meetings all-time between the squads and was tops at 8-1 in pool play.
Russia, Serbia and the United States are the other teams in Final Six play. Canada, which is 5-4 on the World League season, will oppose the Russians on Wednesday (CBCSports.ca, 2:05 p.m. ET).
Friday's semifinals are scheduled for 2:05 p.m. and 4:40 p.m., with Saturday's bronze match slated for 7 p.m. and the gold-medal final at 10:05 p.m.
Nine games in three weeks was a big test for the Canadians, who are making their debut in the prestigious Group 1 of the World League, with a pair of five-set victories over Belgium, which is important to the team's growth.
"I don't know if all the team believed [qualifying for the Final Six] would be possible," said Antiga, a former player for France's national club. "It's a post-Olympics season with many new players on all the teams."
This is the Canadians' first international action under Antiga, who sees "big potential" in a team that made its first Olympic appearance in 24 years in Rio de Janeiro last summer and placed fifth before several players retired, including star opposite hitter Gavin Schmitt.
Several players have stepped up in World League play, including opposite hitters Stephen Maar and Sharone Vernon-Evans, along with captain Gord Perrin, Graham Vigrass and Dan Jansen Vandoorn.
"I am very satisfied with our result and our game level," said Antiga. "I didn't imagine we would be able to play so well after only two months of work, but we could play better, for example, in our attack."
Antiga, who guided Poland to the 2014 world title, added Canada is fine from a health perspective and all players are available to begin the Final Six.