July 03, 2023: Canada’s women’s sitting volleyball team finished second to the U.S. at the Dutch Tournament in Assen, Netherlands, this past weekend.

Paralympic champions and top-ranked USA (6-0) went undefeated, followed by Canada (5-1), Ukraine was third with a 4-2 record, then is was Italy, Great Britain, Netherlands and France.

Full results at: https://www.facebook.com/DutchTournament/

"We had a great weekend," said Canada's head coach Nicole Ban. "We’ve been able to play six matches and get court experience for everyone. We played USA for gold but ended up falling short in the 5th. I’m proud of the group and the way we battled. We’re getting closer and closer, improving every time we play them. This will help build confidence for our Paralympic qualifier in Cairo in November."

The U.S. women’s team qualified for the Paralympics at Zonal Championship in Edmonton in May, so Canada is looking ahead to additional opportunities to book a berth at the Paris 2024 Games.

More on the qualification process can be found here: https://www.worldparavolley.org/road-to-paris-2024-sitting-volleyball-qualification-process/
 
Dutch Tournament Team Canada Results:

June 30
CAN – UKR 3-0 (25-17, 25-13, 25-17)
GBR – CAN 0-3 (14-25, 13-25, 19-25)

July 01
CAN – ITA 3-1 (23-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-15)
FRA - CAN  0-3 (10-25, 8-25, 18-25)

July 02
CAN – NED 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-21)
USA – CAN  3-2 (25-14, 20-25, 25-18, 23-25, 15-9)

Canada’s roster (Dutch Tournament) :
Angelena Dolezar, St. Albert, AB
Danielle Ellis (captain), White Rock, BC
Anne Fergusson, Carleton Place, ON
Julie Kozun, Melfort, SK
Allison Lang, Edmonton, AB
Jayme Lepp, Vancouver, BC
Jennifer McCreesh, Smithers, BC
Sarah Melenka, Vegreville, BC
Jennifer Oakes, Calgary, AB
Heidi Peters, Neerlandia, AB
Felicia Voss-Shafiq, Burnaby, BC

Staff: 
Head Coach: Nicole Ban
Assistant Coach: Christine Biggs
Analyst: Jason Haldane
Physio: Yung Yung Wong
Team Lead/Manager: Molly Henneberry

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DutchTournament/
Youtube: Dutch Tournament - YouTube

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