June 20, 2025: The Canadian women faced back-to-back tough matches in week two of Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2025, putting on a fight but dropping matches with Türkiye, 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 26-24), and world number two, Brazil 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-23).

In the first game against host country Türkiye, 21-year-old Anna Smrek led the way for Canada with 13 points, 11 of which came off the attack. Team veterans Hilary Johnson and Andrea Mitrovic were second and third on the team with eight and five points respectfully, all off the attack.

“We played against a great opponent,” head coach Giovanni Guidetti said after the match. "One of the best teams in the world in front of 15,000 people. I'm really proud of my team. We fought hard every set.

“We were very close to winning the third set. I saw a lot of improvement in our game compared to the first day of this leg. That means that the team has started to be more relaxed and more used to playing together with this new lineup.”

Against Brazil, Canada held its own with VNL rookie Abby Guezen leading the Canadians with 13 points, all off the attack. Nyadholi Thokbuom was close behind, with 12 points, nine off the attack, two off blocks, and one off a serve.

“I’m very happy to see the team getting better each day,” Guidetti said after today’s match. "Today we had a chance to win two sets against Brazil, that means the team is performing well because we played at the same level as Brazil, so we should be proud of that. We need to be better at the end of the sets, but again we had a chance against Brazil, which is a good sign.”

Canada holds a 2-5 record and is in 15th place in the round robin, just over halfway through week two and now in the back-half of their 12 preliminary phase matches.

The women will now have a day off after three-straight days of competition before closing out this week of the tournament in an important game against Belgium on Sunday at 5:30 am ET.

Week 2 Results (Istanbul, Türkiye)
Canada v. Brazil 0-3 (20-25, 23-25, 23-25)
Canada v. Türkiye 0-3 (16-25, 18-25, 24-26)
Korea v. Canada 3-2 (27-25, 25-18, 15-25, 20-25, 15-13)

Week 1 Results (Ottawa)
Bulgaria v. Canada 2-3 (18-25, 12-25, 25-23, 25-19, 4-15)
Canada v. Netherlands 1-3 (18-25, 25-22, 15-25, 23-25)
Canada v. Japan 0-3 (24-26, 20-25, 19-25)
Canada v. Serbia 3-2 (20-25, 18-25, 25-20, 25-18, 15-12)

All teams are vying for a spot in the quarterfinals (top 8): https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/volleyball-nations-league/standings/women/

Canada's Roster:
Averie Allard, Winnipeg, MB
Quinn Pelland, Wanham, AB
Anna Smrek, Welland, ON
Emily Maglio, Coquitlam, BC
Jazmine White, Oshawa, ON (captain)
Jessica Andrews, Guelph, ON
Nyadholi Thokbuom, Calgary, AB
Abagayle Guezen, Sherwood Park, AB
Andrea Mitrovic, Mississauga, ON
Hilary Johnson, Calgary, AB
Lucy Borowski, Vancouver, BC
Raya Surinx, Winnipeg, MB
Delaney Watson, St. Jacobs, ON
Kacey Jost, St. Albert, AB
Katerina Georgiadis, Scarborough, ON

Volleyball Canada Media Contact:
Jackie Skender
jskender@volleyball.ca
Mobile: 613-794-7676