GWANGJU, South Korea (Team Canada) – In a decisive game, the Canadian women’s volleyball team earned a 3-2 win (19-25, 25-14, 27-25, 20-25, 15-8) over Thailand. It was the final match of the preliminary round and the win elevated Canada to second place in Group D which advances the squad through to the next round.
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Playing in a fifth set for the second time in three days, Canada started strong and held an 8-2 lead at the technical timeout. Then, setter Katia Forcier (University of Montreal) continued to distribute the ball, notably to Danielle Brisebois (UBC) who recorded three kills in the late going. An attack from Dione Lang (University of Alberta) captured the winning point.
“We were ready for that set. Our previous match against Turkey helped us and we brought intensity this time to start off strong,” said Forcier of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. “At the beginning of the match we were trying to be too perfect, but we got over that.”
The Canadians struggled to adjust early in the game and quickly fell behind 8-2 against Thailand’s excellent defence. Thailand grew its lead to 18-7, but Canada showed it would not be an easy match. With a flurry of kills from Vicky Savard (University of Montreal), Canada pulled within 21-17. Thailand closed out the set 25-19, but the stage had been set for the remainder of the match.
Canada held the momentum into the second set and took a 12-5 lead which stood for the set. Dominating the Thais with a combination of powerful attacks and strong defence, the Canadians evened the match with a 25-14 win.
Olivier Trudel’s squad continued to score to open the third set and led 7-3. However, the intensity went up a notch when Thailand rallied to tie the score 10-10. From there, the teams traded points until the very end. Canada gained the first set point, and then Thailand had the opportunity to finish it. A kill from Alicia Perrin (Trinity Western University) made it 25-25. Finally, a Perrin block gave Canada the 27-25 win.
“For a team that lacks international experience, playing five sets against Turkey and taking down Thailand shows the strength of our character. I am very proud of the team”, said head coach Olivier Trudel. “The players are reaping what they’ve sowed. They stayed calm and we kept believing through the whole game that we could win.”
In the fourth set, a series of four straight points took Thailand from 12-12 to 16-12. This time, the Canadians were not able to come back and Thailand forced the fifth set by winning 25-20.
Sophie Carpentier (Trinity Western University) scored 14 kills, one block, and two aces for a total of 17 points. Meg Casault (University of Alberta), was also a factor with 16 points including 13 kills and three blocks.
In the quarterfinal Canada will face Russia. Russia finished first in group B. That match will take place on Wednesday.
About the Summer Universiade
The Summer Universiade is an international multi-sport event that takes place every two years and is second only to the Olympic Games in the number of participating athletes and countries. The Universiade is open to competitors who are at least 17 and less than 28 years of age as of January 1 in the year of the Games. Participants must be full-time students at a post-secondary institution (university, college, CEGEP) or have graduated from a post-secondary institution in the year preceding the event.
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