Canada Earns Its First Victory in the 2026 Men’s VNL

June 11, 2026.- Canada earned its first victory in Pool 1 during the opening week of the 2026 Men’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL), being held in Ottawa, Canada.

The Canadians defeated France 3-1 (25-20, 25-18, 21-25, 27-25), improving their record to one win and one loss and moving into fifth place in the overall standings.

After comfortably dominating the first two sets, the Canadians ran into trouble in the third set and had to battle through a difficult fourth set. In the end, they secured an important victory over Olympic champs and the world’s No. 5-ranked team.

In the team statistics, Canada outperformed France in attacks (58-53) and blocks (15-7), while the Europeans held the advantage in service aces (6-1). The match was fairly even in unforced errors, with Canada committing 22 and France 24.

Canadian opposite hitter Xander Ketrzynski was the match’s top scorer with 20 points, including three blocks. Canada’s captain Eric Loeppky contributed 18 points, including two blocks and one ace, while Timothy Maar finished with 12 points. Middle blockers Danny Demyanenko and Jackson Howe added 10 points each, both shining at the net with three and four blocks, respectively.

Match Schedule for June 12

In Ottawa, Canada (Local Time)

United States vs. Germany – 16:00

Canada – Rest Day

In Linyi, China (Local Time)

Cuba vs. Ukraine – 16:30