Coaches looking ahead to an important competition in Canada
QUEBEC, Canada, August 28, 2023.- The 2023 NORCECA Senior Women’s
Volleyball Continental Championship in Quebec, Canada, runs from
August 29 to September 3 at the PEPS’ Amphithéatre
Desjardins-Université Laval.
Shannon Winzer, head coach of Canada:
“This really important for ranking points, but whenever we are playing
within our region, we want to be one of the top teams. The last time
we played in the NORCECA Championship we were third and our intention
is to improve on that result, and we want to see ourselves in that
gold-medal game. I think this sets the tone for the rest of the summer
– I think we’re in a really good spot. Playing at home is so exciting
– the environment that they have created here in Quebec is amazing to
be part of it. It adds an extra element of wanting to do our best on
this stage.”
Jose Miguel Brinceño, coach of Costa Rica:
“The expectations we have are that there will be a lot of learning
from the team we’re bringing, which is quite young. We have under 19
players, some players who are starting in the senior team process, and
players who have had significant international participation. We hope
that these players fit in well and that in the upcoming years, they
become a strong foundation for the senior team. “We want to learn from
the best teams, participate in the best way, and give our best
performance in every match, so that with each game we improve
progressively.”
Osmani García, head coach of Cuba:
“We arrived here right after a very strong tournament in the Dominican
Republic, and our group is still covered in the dust from the plane.
The expectations will be to strategize day by day and seek the highest
number of ranking points. At this moment, we are not qualified for the
pre-Olympic events; we are looking to form a group towards the Pan
American Games.”
Marcos Kwiek, head coach of Dominican Republic:
“It’s my first time competing here in Canada with the Dominican team;
I’ve been with the team for 16 years and it’s my first time here. We
are very excited with the tournament. It’s a very important
tournament. I don’t take this as a preparation tournament, it’s a very
important tournament, it’s part of the Olympic qualifier. We are here
to compete at a great level, it’s obvious that every team here wants
the same goal, and we are one more team who wants to win the
tournament; it’s part of our preparation for the qualification for the
Olympic Games”.
Victor Javier Gutierrez, manager of Mexico:
“Mexico always comes to do the best possible in all events, and this
time is no exception, so we expect a good event for Mexico. It will be
a great competition; apparently, the teams that are here are coming
with their top players, so it will be a strong and interesting
competition.”
Fernando Morales, head coach of Puerto Rico,
“We’re looking to be in the last four, the semifinals. So we will try
to win our group and be directly in the semifinals. If not, the goal
is to win the quarterfinal match and then after that try to get a
medal. But our first objective is to be in those semifinals.
We have had a good summer so far; we have played in three tournaments
and in all those tournaments we have been in the finals. We know this
will be a harder, but we want to be in that semifinals and fight for a
medal.”
Karch Kiraly, head coach of United States:
“We’re really excited about competing in our zone in our Continental
Championship; they happen every two years and are really important in
our ranking points – they often happen at the end of the season when
teams are trying to reach their peak and hone their game. It’s not
only a great test in itself, but also great preparation for the many
teams who are here who will be competing very soon afterward in the
Olympic qualification process. This is an important combination of
tournaments. “We love playing great competition across the next. …
We’re looking forward to that.”
