RIO DE JANEIRO 鈥� Kiera Van Ryk of Surrey, B.C., had a game-high 27 points as Canada defeated China 3-1 in women's Volleyball Nations League on Friday.
Canada, ranked 11th in the world, won the opening set 25-22 before No. 7 China took the second set 25-20. Canada countered by winning the third set 25-23 and finished China off with a 25-22 fourth-set victory.
鈥淲e are showing up with fierce determination and it鈥檚 fun to be a part of that," said head coach Shannon Winzer. "Tonight, our serving was ruthless, and key to disrupt China鈥檚 offence. Our middles did a great job of slowing down their attack and our hitters remained aggressive in key moments. I also cannot credit our subs enough for the jobs they did tonight, making an impact each time.鈥�
China led 61-58 in attack points, but Canada carried an 8-6 edge in blocking points and 13-6 in serve points. Canada made more errors, however, with 19 to China's 16.
Canadian captain Alexa Gray of Calgary added 21 points. Canada's women are still vying for a place at this summer's Olympic Games in Paris.聽
Seven women鈥檚 teams have already qualified. The remaining five spots will go to the top five not-yet-qualified teams in the FIVB rankings at of the end of the Nations League's preliminary phase.聽
Canada opened with a four-set loss to host Brazil on Tuesday night before rebounding with a 3-0 win over the Dominican Republic on Thursday.聽
鈥淏eing able to back up last night鈥檚 performance with another big showing against another top team is huge,鈥� Winzer said.
Canada's next match is Saturday against Thailand.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2024.
The Canadian Press
