September 21, 2021: Team Canada U18 Girls begin their FIVB World Championship journey in Durango, Mexico, on Tuesday.

The athletes, born in 2004 or later, were selected from the 2021 National Excellence Program (NEP), and are set to compete against Mexico (Sept 21, 8 pm CDT), Cameroon (forfeit, recorded as Canada win), Serbia (Sept 22, 8 pm CDT), and Poland (Sept 24, 5 pm CDT) in the preliminary round from September 20-24 with playoffs beginning September 26.

Canada qualified for the World Championship based on its performance in 2019 in Egypt with a 14th place finish.

Head Coach Scott Koskie is returning to World Championships with confidence in the athletes representing Team Canada. “It will be an adjustment to compete against the best youth women in the World, with all 12 of our athletes competing internationally for the first time after 18 months away from any formal type of competition. We will focus on the small improvements in our matches, but also in the preparation and mindset that it takes to travel internationally, adjust to the elements, and manage as individuals and as a member of Team Canada.”

"With the athletes arriving at NEP two weeks ago, our preparation has been challenging but we are confident in our athletes representing Canada. From the recent success of our Senior team on the international stage, our athletes are certainly inspired put their Team Canada jerseys on for the first time. I suspect it will be an emotional moment for everyone," commented Dawna Sales, Director of Athlete and Coach Pathways and Team Canada Manager for the competition.

Team Canada Roster:
Maryn Boldon, Outside Hitter, Okotoks, AB
Olivia Boulding, Outside Hitter, Victoria, BC
Ava Ebert, Middle/Outside Hitter, London, ON
Tara Garvey, Outside Hitter, Ancaster, ON
Kylee Glanville, Outside Hitter, Okotoks, AB
Lauryn Hovey, Opposite Hitter, Waterloo, ON
Lydia Johnson, Opposite Hitter, Edmonton, AB
Payton Lightfoot, Middle Blocker, Hamilton, ON
Brooke Malek, Libero, Edmonton, AB
Isabella Tehrani, Middle Blocker, Hamilton, ON
Kaiya Tyson, Setter, Burlington, ON
Viktoria Wahlgren, Setter, Burlington, ON

STAFF:
Head Coach: Scott Koskie
Assistant Coach: Carolyn O’Dwyer
Assistant Coach/Data Analysis: Nathan Janzen
Physiotherapist: Alice Podmore
Team Manager: Dawna Sales

Full schedule can be found here: FIVB – website
Livestream: VolleyballWorld YouTube Channel

Volleyball Canada media contact:
Jackie Skender
Mobile: 613.794.7676