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RIMINI, Italy — Canada’s women’s volleyball team picked up its second straight win at the Volleyball Nations League with a 3-0 victory over Germany on Wednesday.
Canada (2-4) took the tightly contested first two sets 30-28 and 27-25 before comfortably winning the decider 25-14.
Kiera Van Ryk of Surrey, B.C., continued her excellent play in Italy with a match-high 18 points.
The win followed Canada’s first Nations League victory, a 3-2 win over China on Tuesday.
“We are so excited and so pumped that I feel like we could go and play another game,” said Canada’s Jennifer Cross, who added 12 points. “The last two days have been amazing and it’s been a long way to get here, but I feel like all the pieces are coming together for our team.”
The Canadian women are off until Sunday, when they face Poland.
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.
The Canadian men (1-2) next face Iran on Thursday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2021.
The Canadian Press
