GUADALAJARA, Mexico, August 20, 2023 - Canada won its first men’s Pan American gold medal defeating Brazil 3-1 (26-24, 20-25, 25-23, 25-22) at the XVI Men’s Senior Pan American Volleyball Cup last night in Mexico.

Historically, Canada has earned three silvers, including last year, and three bronze medals, but this is Canada’s first gold medal at this tournament. 

In the final, Canada was led by Isaac Heslinga with 13 points, along with Byron Keturakis and Logan House with nine points each. Brazilian Darlan Ferreira was the top scorer of the match with 24 points, and Victor Almeida added 11 points. The Canadians led in blocking 8-3 and in service points 4-1, while Brazil led in attacking points 59-52. Canada committed one less unforced error than Brazil (31-32).

"I’m so proud of this group; the focus, the effort and the hard work," said NextGen Head Coach Dan Lewis. "This team trained for 11 weeks together, and I was very demanding of them and each step they kept working hard all summer.

"When we got to the event, they executed so well, they stuck together the whole tournament. It’s a big steppingstone for all these players, many of them just starting their professional careers. We have to keep pushing to compete with the best and keep finding our way."

Canada had lost its tournament opening match to Brazil, then beating Dominican Republic in their next pool contest, and defeating the U.S. in the quarterfinals. They faced home-crowd favourites Mexico in the semifinals, winning 3-1 to land in the gold-medal match. Chile ended up with the bronze after a win over Mexico.

Canada’s team captain Fynn McCarthy, in the post-match interview, said:  "It’s been a tough summer, we’ve worked hard, and we were focused on this tournament... The gold medal is thanks to the great work we’ve been doing all summer."

Canadian opposite Isaac Heslinga was also named tournament MVP. See a full list of award winners here.
 

• Info & photo by NORCECA
• Event web site: www.norceca.net
• The Women's Final 6 continues today with Canada vs. Mexico at 3 pm local time in Santo Domingo; live stream can be found on the Reinas del Caribe YouTube Channel 

Canada's Roster (Pan Am Cup)
Jordan Canham, Avonmore ON
Jesse Elser, Calgary AB
Evan Falardeau, Stratford ON
Isaac Heslinga, Orangeville ON
Zachary Hollands, Victoriaville QC
Logan House, Barrie ON
Jackson Howe, Calgary AB
Byron Keturakis, Surrey BC
Liam Kristjanson, Oak River MB
Fynn McCarthy, Lake Country BC
Matthew Neaves, Calgary AB
Darian Picklyk, Winnipeg MB
Jonathan Portelance, Sherbrooke QC
James Vincett, Calgary AB
 
Staff                                     
Dan Lewis, head coach    
Dan Ota, assistant coach              
Chris Voth, assistant coach          
Lionel Bonnaure, performance analyst   
Ashley Hiscock, athletic therapist       
Louis-Jean Tremblay, strength & conditioning coach         
Georges Laplante, team manager            

Volleyball Canada Media Contact:
Jackie Skender
jskender@volleyball.ca