Canadian men fall to 2-5 at Volleyball Nations League after loss to Slovenia

RIMINI, Italy — The Canadian men’s volleyball team fell to 2-5 at the Volleyball Nations League tournament after dropping a 3-0 decision to Slovenia on Wednesday.

Set scores were 25-22, 25-19 and 25-22.

Nicholas Hoag of Sherbrooke, Que., had a team-high 16 points for Canada, which dropped one spot to 12th in the standings.

The Canadian men next face Russia on Saturday.

The annual international men’s and women’s competition featuring the world’s top 16 teams in each gender was cancelled in 2020 because of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The Canadian men’s and women’s squads will each play a 15-match preliminary round until June 23. 

The top four countries advance to the semifinals and finals. 

The Canadian men, ranked No. 10 in the world, have qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics starting July 23. Nations League is important preparation for them after a year of no matches as a team.

Canada’s women’s team (2-7) is 14th in its competition and next plays Saturday against Serbia.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2021.

The Canadian Press