Canadian men drop 3rd straight, falling to Russia at Volleyball Nations League

The Canadian men's volleyball team fell to 2-6 in Nations League play after a 3-1 loss to Russia on Thursday.

Set scores were 25-18, 25-18, 23-25, 25-23.

Sharone Vernon-Evans led Canada with 13 points, while Nicholas Hoag and Eric Loeppky had 10 apiece.

Canada is now 13th in the 16-team standings.

WATCH | Canada falls to Russia for 3rd consecutive loss:

Canada drops match against Russia at Nations League

3 years ago

Duration 4:28

Canada lost Thursday to Russia in the third round at the Nations League men's volleyball tournament in Rimini, Italy 3-1 (25-18, 25-18, 23-25, 25-23).

The Canadians return to action Friday against France.

The annual international men's and women's competition featuring the world's top 16 teams in each gender was cancelled in 2020 because of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The top four countries advance to the semifinals and finals.

The Canadian men, ranked No. 10 in the world, have qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics starting July 23. Nations League is important preparation for them after a year of no matches as a team.

Canada's women's team (2-7) is 14th in its competition and next plays Saturday against Serbia.