June 17, 2023: Canada finished week two of Volleyball Nations League with a five-set match against Dominican Republic.

The Dominican block (20-9 points) made a big the difference in that country’s 3-2 (22-25, 25-13, 25-17, 23-25, 15-10) win over Canada.

“Dominican’s block defense was outstanding today and we struggled to find our rhythm offensively,” explained Canada’s head coach Shannon Winzer. "I think this whole VNL round we have lacked consistency and we will be working towards maintaining our level of play throughout all of next round.”

Canada’s Alexa Gray led scoring again today with 21 points for her team, and is a leading scorer and attacker in the tournament. Brie King of Canada is ranked among the best setters. Canada has three wins and 10 points so far.

Note: this match is featured on CBC-TV on Saturday afternoon. Check local listings.

Week 3 for Canada is in Bangkok, Thailand, opening against Croatia on June 27.

The Canadian men’s team resumes its VNL campaign in Orléans, France, on June 20 vs. Japan.

Week 2 Results (Hong Kong)
China v. Canada 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 29-27)
Bulgaria vs. Canada 0-3 (15-25, 13-25, 15-25)
Türkiye v Canada 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-20)
Dominican Rep. v Canada 3-0 (22-25, 25-13, 25-17, 23-25, 15-10)

Week 1 Results (Türkiye)
Poland v. Canada 3-2 (20-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25-23, 15-13)
Canada v. Thailand 0-3 (17-25, 24-26, 21-25)
Canada v. Korea 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-18)
Canada v. Serbia 3-2 (18-25, 28-26, 25-23, 18-25, 15-12)

VNL 2023 is played based on the same competition formula as in 2022, featuring 16 teams per gender. A total of 104 matches per gender will be played across the preliminary and final phases, with every team playing a minimum of 12 matches.

For more on the competition formula:
https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/vnl-2023/competition/formula

Matches are featured on Volleyball World TV and in Canada at www.cbcsports.ca

VNL Women’s Roster Week 2:
3 – Kiera Van Ryk, Surrey, BC
5 - Julia Murmann, Toronto, ON
6 - Jazmine White, Oshawa, ON
7 - Layne Van Buskirk, Windsor, ON
8 - Alicia Ogoms, Winnipeg, MB
9 - Alexa Gray, Calgary, AB
11 - Andrea Mitrovic, Mississauga, ON
13 - Brie King, Langley, BC
14 - Hilary Howe, Calgary, AB
15 - Shaïnah Joseph, Ottawa, ON
16 - Caroline Livingston, Kelowna, BC
19 - Emily Maglio, Coquitlam, B.C.
20 – Arielle Palermo, Burlington, ON
26 – Quinn Pelland, Wanham, AB

Staff:
Shannon Winzer – Head coach
Vincenzo Mallia – Assistant coach
Matt Krueger – Assistant coach
Gabriele Tortorici – Performance analyst
Kevin Valcke and Hilary Mallinger - Physiotherapists
Jennah Paron – Team Coordinator
Robert Hooper – Trainer (Strength & Conditioning)
Roger Friesen – Mental Performance Coach

Photo: VolleyballWorld

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