Canada Women's Team Prepares for Olympic Qualifier

WINNIPEG, Canada, April 12, 2012 - The Canadian Women's National Team arrived in Winnipeg on Monday to begin training for the most important tournament in four years, the NORCECA Olympic Qualification Tournament.

The tournament takes place in Tijuana, Mexico from April 29-May 5th.

Canada, currently ranked #22 in the world, finds themselves in a pool with Dominican Republic (world #9), Puerto Rico (world #19) and Honduras (world #69).

They will play a round robin against those teams before crossing over with the second pool which has Cuba (world #10), Mexico (world #27), Costa Rica (world #28), and Trinidad & Tobago (world #34).

In order to qualify for the Olympic Games, Team Canada must win this tournament. Canada last appeared in the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996.

Team Canada will travel with a roster of 12 athletes. The following athletes are currently vying for a spot on this roster, which will be determined by Monday, April 23.

Left Sides: Tammy Mahon, Tonya Mokelki, Marie-Pier Murray-Methot, Liz Cordonier, Kyla Richey. Middle Blockers: Jennifer Hinze, Marisa Field, Tasha Holness, Nadine Alphonse. Right Sides: Sarah Pavan, Brittney Page. Setters: Jaclyn Ellis, Kelci French. Liberos: Julie Young, Claire Hanna.