Canada defeats Thailand 3-1 in the Volleyball Nations League tournament

RIO DE JANEIRO — Canada picked up a big win in Volleyball Nations League action on Saturday night with 25-21, 25-13, 20-25, 25-17 wins over winless Thailand.

Canada, which started the day ranked 11th and trying to secure an Olympic berth, improved to 3-1 in VNL competition.

Seven women’s teams have already qualified for the Paris Games. The remaining five spots will be filled by the next five best teams at the end of the VNL preliminary stage.

“There are no easy games in this tournament. Tonight, we knew we had to be patient on offense and clean up the block. Thailand’s defense was outstanding and made it difficult to score, but our team shared the load tonight to get over the line,” said Canada head coach Shannon Winzer.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better first round and we’ve laid a solid foundation from which to further pursue our goal of qualifying for Paris.”

The game’s top scorer was Kiera Van Ryk of Surrey, BC, who leads the VNL with 85 points in the tournament.

Van Ryk told Volleyball TV: “Obviously we would have liked to make it three (sets), but Thailand came back and fought hard. … It was up and down and it’s not the cleanest volleyball, but I’m proud of the way we came out and fought until the end and did the job we had to do.

“Everybody has their job and they do it well. It’s a team win.”

The teams were even in attack points 53-53, but Canada dominated in block points 13-1; serve 5-3 and Thailand made several crucial errors 24-19.

Canada finishes the first leg of the VNL with an impressive 3-1 record and next competes in Arlington, Texas later this month.

Canada’s women’s team beat top-ranked China on Friday. This win comes on the heels of a win over the Dominican Republic on Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 18, 2024.

The Canadian Press