Canadian men edge Italy in battle of volleyball youth in Japan
Nicholas Hoag, Stephen Maar stand out in 5-set victory at World Cup
Nicholas Hoag contributed 21 points to lift Canada to a five-set win over Italy on Sunday at the FIVB men's volleyball World Cup.
Set scores were 19-25, 25-17, 15-25, 25-23, 18-16 in Hiroshima, Japan.
Stephen Maar added 20 points for the Canadians. Italy's Gabriele Nelli was the match's top scorer with 23 points.
"It was two very young teams playing, both have highs and lows, and you could see that today, especially on our side," Hoag said. "We had two let-downs in the first and the third sets, I think. We're still trying to find that consistency, and we're getting it from time to time and we can win the sets that we are consistent in."
Canada is 4-5 through its first nine games. The Canadians play Poland on Monday and close out the tournament against host Japan on Wednesday.
"I think we're all getting tired, it's a long tournament," Hoag said. "We're obviously very happy with the win, it's very important for us to fight for everything and try and get some wins here."
Canada finished seventh at the last World Cup in 2015.