Canada overpowers Thailand for another VNL win

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, May 18, 2024.- Canada wrapped up the first week of Volleyball Nations League in style with a decisive win over Thailand in Rio, Brazil on Saturday.

Thailand had moments of energy but couldn’t hold back the powerful Canadians who took the match in four sets 3-1 (25-21, 25-13, 20-25, 25-17).

"There are no easy games in this tournament. Tonight, we knew we had to be patient in attack and clean on block. Thailand’s defense was outstanding and made it difficult to score, but our team shared the load tonight to get over the line," said head coach Shannon Winzer. "We couldn’t ask for a better first round and we’ve laid a strong foundation from which we can keep pursuing our goal of qualifying for Paris."

Top scorer was Kiera Van Ryk (22 points), who is leading VNL with 85 points so far.

Van Ryk told VBTV: "Obviously we would have liked to do it in three (sets), but Thailand came back and fought hard… it was up and down and it’s not the cleanest volleyball, but I’m proud of the way we came out and fought to the end and did the job that we needed to do. … everyone’s got their job and they are doing it well. It’s a team win."

The teams were even in attack points 53-53, but Canada dominated in block points 13-1; serves 5-3, and Thailand made more crucial errors 24-19.

Canada wraps up the first leg of VNL with an impressive 3-1 record, and next competes in Arlington, Texas, later this month. 

Viewers guide:
-All matches are streamed on VBTV and CBC Sports and CBC Gem.
-VNL Web site: https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/volleyball-nations-league/

The women’s team is still in contention to qualify for Paris 2024 via the World Rankings.