ARHEM, The Netherlands – The Canadian women’s sitting volleyball team has advanced to the quarterfinals at the world championships.
The ninth-ranked Canadians trounced world number-eight Rwanda on Sunday 26-24, 25-9, 25-8, then defeated Croatia 25-12, 25-14, 25-13 on Monday before falling to the Netherlands in a five set thriller on Tuesday 24-26, 25-15, 13-25, 25-19, 15-8.
“It has been a successful tournament so far,” said Canada’s head coach Nicole Ban. “Today we faced the host nation and were out-played under pressure. We played some great volleyball and had control for a large portion of the match, but when points were needed, the more experienced hosts were able to capitalize. We are now second in our pool and know we have a tough competitor in China ahead. With a day off tomorrow to travel to Rotterdam and practice, we will recompose and come back ready to compete.”
Netherlands, ranked fifth in the world, places first in pool A with a perfect 3-0 mark and Canada takes second spot at 2-1.
Also advancing to the quarterfinals are the USA, Russia, China, Italy, Brazil and Ukraine.
Canada faces China (2-1) in its quarterfinal on Thursday.
Live streaming of the tournament is available at https://www.facebook.com/WorldParaVolley/