Canada 12th at Jr Worlds
Canada's Ashley Voth hitting against China in final match
Canada and Greece battled for the 2nd position in Pool H last Thursday as Canada earned the honor of fighting for the 9th to 12th positions with its 26-24, 18-25, 25-22, 25-18 win over Greece at the 2009 FIVB Men’s Junior World Championship held in Pune, India.
Canada finished the second phase with two wins and one loss, while Greece ended up with one win and two losses. China finished first in the pool with three victories and will join Canada in competing in the 9-12 playoff bracket.
Greece got off to a flying start and it looked as if the team would knock out Canada from the race. But despite its good defense in the first set and good leads in at 8-6, 16-15, and set point at 24-23 it failed as Canada piled on the pressure. This turned out to be the decisive battle as the loss of first set affected Greece’s game further in the next three sets, with Perrin spiking well for Canada at the finishing stages. For Canada, Gord Perrin was the most successful scorer with 20 points coming from 17 kills. Jason DeRocco also contributed with 12 kills from 22 attempts. Rudy Verhoeff did well blocking for four points.
Canada would go on to lose to Poland in a semi-final for positions 9-12 in straight sets and lose a tough match to China in five. Canada finishes at 12th spot.
Canada Match Schedule | Pool D
July 31st Canada vs. Poland (3-2: 19-25, 25-21, 15-25, 25-20)
August 1st Canada vs. Brazil (0-3: 21-25, 22-25, 13-25)
August 2nd Canada vs. Russia (1-3: 30-32, 16-25, 25-17, 22-25)
Canada Match Schedule | Pool H
August 4th Canada vs. Tunisia (3-1: 20-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-23)
August 5th Canada vs. China (2-3: 18-25, 25-20, 25-23, 17-25, 12-15)
August 6th Canada vs. Greece (3-1: 26-24, 18-25, 25-22, 25-18)
August 8th Semi-finals (9-12) Canada vs Poland (0-3: 18-25, 18-25, 21-25)
August 9th (positions 11-12) Canada vs China (2-3: 25-21, 25-18, 24-26, 22-25, 8-15)
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