Canada’s female volleyball squad secured a berth in the Volleyball Nations League Finals for the first time by defeating the Dominican Republic in four sets in Hong Kong on Sunday. Kiera Van Ryk, the top scorer of the tournament, spearheaded Canada’s offense in a 3-1 triumph (25-20, 17-25, 25-22, 25-18) to conclude the preliminary phase after a close loss to reigning champion Italy on Saturday.
Canada, finishing fifth in the preliminary rankings, progressed to the top eight with eight wins and four losses, accumulating 24 points. They started the match in sixth place, with a mere two-point gap separating the teams contending for the final three spots.
Van Ryk, playing as an opposite spiker, amassed 21 points (18 kills and three aces), while Alexa Gray, an outside hitter, contributed 20 points (19 kills and one block). The 27-year-old Van Ryk ended the preliminary round with a total of 271 points.
Gaila Ceneida Gonzalez Lopez, the Dominican Republic’s opposite spiker, led her team with 16 points (15 attack points and one block). Canada dominated in attack points (63-47) and blocks (11-7) while committing fewer errors (14-29).
The Canadian team achieved a 2-2 record in Week 1 in Quebec City, followed by a 3-1 performance in both Bangkok and Hong Kong. The final phase, scheduled for July 22 to 26 in Macau, China, will feature a direct elimination format.
Head coach Giovanni Guidetti expressed his pride in the team’s progress, stating, “It was a long journey with ups and downs, but the team never stopped working and growing. I am thankful to train this great group of players.” The Canadians challenged the second-ranked Italians to five sets on Saturday but eventually succumbed 3-2 (22-25, 27-29, 25-23, 25-23, 15-5).
Live coverage of women’s and men’s VNL matches can be viewed on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem. For the full streaming schedule, visit the provided link.