After 12 years of donning the maple leaf for the Canadian Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team, including two Paralympic appearances as the captain, Danielle Ellis has announced her retirement from Team Canada.

Ellis’ final appearance in the red and white resulted in Canada’s first-ever Paralympic podium finish, winning bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

"I just remember the whistle being late, feeling stunned and then all of a sudden we were all rushing into the middle of the court and into a giant group hug," Ellis reflected on the win. "I have never felt so excited but calm and at peace and in love with the sport and my teammates as I did at that moment. I know that this moment came from so many years of hard work and determination and dedication from so many people."

That moment stands out as a highlight for Ellis’ career, one of many. The White Rock, British Columbia native helped the Canadian women to their Paralympic debut at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, where they finished seventh. That was the first of three straight appearances, where they improved each time finishing fourth in Tokyo 2020 before hitting the podium in Paris.

Ellis’ other top international appearances include finishing seventh at the 2018 World Sitting Volleyball Championships, third place at the 2019 Parapan American Games, winning silver at the 2022 Worlds, and reaching the podium at the 2023 World ParaVolley Sitting Volleyball World Cup. That 2018 finish stands out as a key moment for Ellis.

“I know it may seem so strange to be proud of seventh place, but our team really came back in that last match, and I had never felt so connected to the people surrounding me," Ellis explained. "There was one moment in the game where I looked around at my teammates and we had all taken a deep breath at the same time, together, and in that moment, I knew that we would be great.

"I knew that I would do everything in my power to reach our goals and we did just that over and over in every tournament since." Ellis continued: "And another memory that always stands out to me was our final match in the Last Chance Qualifier for Tokyo in February of 2020. That was my first match qualifying for a Paralympic Games and it was so cool to do it in Halifax, Nova Scotia with bleachers of our friends and family and the Canadian women’s softball team.

Ellis, who lost half of her right leg due to cancer as a baby, played standing volleyball in high school at Semiahmoo Secondary School in Surrey, British Columbia. She was introduced to sitting volleyball at a Trinity Western standing volleyball camp in 2007. The following year, Volleyball Canada announced the introduction of the women’s sitting volleyball team, and the rest is history.

The 33-year-old was a part of the Canadian team until they fell short of qualifying for the London 2012 Paralympics, when she took a brief hiatus from the team between 2012 to 2015. Returning to the team in 2016, the 2020 Qualifier being her first experience qualifying for the Paralympics. At that 2020 World ParaVolley final Paralympic qualification, Ellis took on a critical role for the team, being named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

With Ellis at the helm of the women’s team, and thanks to the medal finishes at the 2022 World Sitting Volleyball Championships, 2023 World ParaVolley Sitting Volleyball World Cup, and Paris 2024 Paralympics, the Canadians have reached the top of the World ParaVolley ranking for the first time ever.

"There are so many people that I want to thank," Ellis started, reflecting on her career. "Obviously, my parents for always believing in me as a human and for never allowing me to believe that my disability would hold me back from anything I wanted to do in life. Ritchie, the first club volleyball coach that I felt really saw me as an athlete and helped me to embrace my disability and to find ways to see it as an advantage instead of a disadvantage.

“All of the staff and athletes that welcomed me in 2008 to Team Canada. … There were so many people that worked and had to sacrifice to welcome a Canadian Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team and I am so proud to have been there to see it start. And honestly there have been so many people, coaches, and IST that have treated me with compassion and kindness and helped me to be the best version of myself after all of these years.

Ellis points to head coach Nicole Ban as an integral part of the program’s success over the last decade. “She is an amazing human being who sees each of us for who we can be. I have always felt that she saw me for more than I was at any moment in time, and she gave me the confidence and self-love to be able to fight for this team and myself.”

Teammate Jolan Wong is also a mentor and role model: "There wouldn't be a women’s sitting volleyball team without her. … She is passionate and hardworking and if I am ever having a hard day, I just think, ‘What would Jo do?’ and that is enough to get me through. I am so incredibly proud of her and thankful for her.”

Ellis studied at the Justice Institute of British Columbia and worked as paramedic in the past. She is currently in school to be a Pharmacy Technician.

With her extensive career with Team Canada, Ellis had some key takeaways from her time that she can now pass to the next generation of athletes.

"One, you are the only person that you can compare yourself to," Ellis said. “Only you have walked the path that you are on and only you know how hard that you have worked to get there. Always be proud of that.

"Two, don’t rush. Good things take time and it’s the times in between big moments that make the big moments feel big. Enjoy those small moments. Three, not everyone around you will understand the time and dedication that it takes to be one of the best, but it always comes back to you and what you are willing to work through for a chance at greatness. Four, love yourself in the good times and the not-so-good times. Every step is a step in the right direction."

Volleyball Canada Media Contact:

Jackie Skender
jskender@volleyball.ca
Mobile: 613-794-7676