A team of volleyball players hailing from 91原创 are so far triumphant at the Pan-American Games unfolding in Santo Domingo this week.
The Canadian team, represented by Trinity Western University鈥檚 men鈥檚 volleyball team, emerged from its second victory in as many outings at the Pan-Am Cup after defeating Mexico 3-1 (27-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-21) on Saturday. Now they鈥檙e gearing up for another game mid-afternoon.
RELATED: TWU鈥檚 Team Canada opens Pan-Am Cup with win
In yesterday鈥檚 play, after the Canadian side earned back-to-back two-point set victories, Mexico bounced back to force a fourth set with a four-point win, said Canada head coach Ben Josephson.
In the fourth set, Canada built a big lead, but Mexico rallied to close the gap midway through the set.
However, the Canadians held on for the win, with Schnitzer catching a tidy serving run near the end to finish it.
鈥淭he kind of competition that we鈥檙e in here is awesome. We have massive athletes banging balls and competing like crazy,鈥� Josephson said.
Have you heard? Our very own Men's Volleyball team is currently representing as Team Canada at the Pan American Cup in the Dominican Republic! 馃嚚馃嚘 馃彁
鈥� Trinity Western University (@TrinityWestern)
Learn more and see their schedule:
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Jesse Elser of Calgary and 91原创鈥檚 own Brodie Hofer each recorded 18 points to lead the Canadian winning effort, followed by Calgary鈥檚 Jackson Howe, who contributed 15 points to the victory.
Jorge Hern谩ndez, Diego Gonzalez, and Josue Lopez finished in double digits for Mexico with 12, 11, and 10 points, respectively. Both teams had eight blocks while Canada (TWU) holding an 8-6 advantage in aces, with Elser and Jordan Schnitzer of Surrey landing three aces apiece.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the end of the international season, so we have a lot of really good volleyball being played with teams who have been together for a while. It鈥檚 a high level and we鈥檙e competing well and the guys are showing a ton of toughness,鈥� Josephson added.
鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of them. We talked a lot about making sure we made the most of this moment and representing Canada well. I don鈥檛 think we played great volleyball, but we played with great passion and great playmaking ability. Sometimes that鈥檚 enough to win and today it was.鈥�
After defeating Suriname 3-0 on Friday, and Mexico 3-1 on Saturday, Team Canada goes up against Puerto Rico this afternoon.
As the defending Canada West and U SPORTS champions, TWU was asked to represent Canada at this year鈥檚 Pan-American Cup.
Roster
Colton Loewen 鈥� Aldergrove
Jackson Corneil 鈥� Surrey
Isaiah Olfert 鈥� Winnipeg, Man.
Brodie Hofer 鈥� 91原创
Jackson Howe 鈥� Calgary
Aaron Elser 鈥� Calgary
Jesse Elser 鈥� Calgary
Jordan Schnitzer 鈥� Surrey
Liam Remple 鈥� Vernon
Adam Schriemer 鈥� Winnipeg, Man.
Derek Epp 鈥� Saskatoon, Sask.
Kaden Schmidt 鈥� Mississauga, Ont.
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Schedule
Sept. 5 鈥� Canada vs. Puerto Rico 鈥� 2 p.m. PT
Sept. 6 鈥� Canada vs. Dominican Republic 鈥� 4 p.m. PT
Sept. 7 鈥� Canada vs. United States 鈥� 2 p.m. PT
Sept. 8 鈥� Semifinals
Sept. 9 鈥� Gold and bronze medal matches
After the tournament, the Spartans men鈥檚 volleyball team will return to Trinity Western to begin their local preseason games in preparation for their season opener on Nov. 5.
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