Canada sneak into the quarterfinals

Lima, Peru, September 5, 2012 – Canada recorded a 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-18) victory over Costa Rica to advance to the quarterfinals of the U-23 Women’s Volleyball Pan American Cup on Wednesday.

The Canadians finished Pool B with a 1-2 mark while Costa Rica remained winless and will play for the 5-8 positions.

The North Americans held advantages of 10-2 and 9-2 in serves and blocks respectively in addition to a margin of 32-19 in attacks.

Carly Hamilton topped Canada with 11 tallies while Royale Richardson and Alicia Perrin each had 8 points. Kelci French, who played only in the first set, totaled 7, including six aces. Costa Rica’s Mihal Hines finished with 9 points.

“Costa Rica gave us problems for moments but we were able to solve them and we are happy to go to the next round,” Canada’s Ryan Hofer said.

“We are happy with the performance of our girls against a team of high level like Canada and I hope they continue to develop their skills,” Costa Rica’s Andres Carvajal stated. “The overall balance of the tournament is a positive one for us.”

“We had a slow start but we improved with the game,” Canada’s Kelci French said. “We know Argentina is a tough rival but we will try our best against them.”