OVA News

Canada was victorious after winning 3-0 in the last match of an exhibition series against the men’s Australian volleyball team at the Palais des Sports in Sherbrooke, QC Saturday night.

The Australians could not keep up with the energetic Canadian team, who took all three sets (25-16, 25-20, 31-29). In an exciting third set, the crowd of 2200 took to their feet to cheer on their team, as Mark Dodds came in to serve when Canada was down 22-24.

“I hadn’t played yet in the match, but I play best when the pressure is on and the game is on the line,” said Dodds. “It was nice to go in there and have some success in a tough situation.”

Toon Van Lankvelt scored the most points with nine kills, two blocks, and one ace. Dallas Soonias pulled out 10 points, while Sherbrooke University alum Louis-Pierre Mainville scored 6 points.

The Canadian men’s volleyball team won the previous game in Kingston on Wednesday 3-2, while the Australians took the first game in Ottawa 3-1. The series finished in Canada’s favour 2-1.

“This was excellent preparation for the World Qualifiers,” said head coach Glenn Hoag. “We’ve been training for so long without competing, which makes this such an important preparation tool for us. We still have things we need to work on but the team will feel more confident after competing against a team like Australia.”

The men’s national team will travel to Cuba August 12-17 for the World Qualifiers.

VC