Junior national team looking to gain experience in Gwangju

GWANGJU, South Korea (Team Canada) – Canada will have one of the youngest teams in the 2015 Summer Universiade men’s volleyball tournament. In a rare occurrence, it will be the junior national team representing their country at this high-level competition.

Gwangju 2015 website: www.gwangju2015.com
Team Canada website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/universiade/summer/2015/index
Team Canada Twitter: @CDNUniversiade

The Canucks wrapped up competition at the Junior Pan American Cup on Sunday in Gatineau, Que., where they claimed the bronze medal. The following day, the team crossed the Pacific Ocean to arrive in South Korea for its first game on Thursday.

“We’re not really in our best shape because of that long travel day after the Pan Am Cup, but playing there was good,” says head coach John Barrett, who is at the helm of the University of Toronto squad. “Players may not feel at their best on the first game, but it is still important to win. I’m really interested to see how our players will react because all the traveling is a reality of international volleyball.”

The first opponent for Canada out of its five-team preliminary group is Iran. The match is set for 3 p.m. local time (2 a.m. EST). The red and white will then face Thailand, the defending champions from Russia, and Switzerland, with the top two teams in the group advancing to the quarterfinals.

Although the team is composed of players aged 21 and under for this edition of the tournament, Canada’s approach in Gwangju is not changing. The team’s preparation remains unchanged despite the more experienced competition.

“These games are always a lot of fun. We are here to get as much competition possible, playing the most games possible. The better competition we face, the better it is for us. We want a great training experience for every player on the team. No matter who we face, we will prepare the same way tactically, physically and mentally,” confirms Barrett, who attended the Games as an athlete in 1983 and 1985.

The Universiade will be the final tournament for the team before the Junior World Championship which Mexico will host in September.

Ryan Nickifor, a left side hitter who just completed his third season with the CIS Championship winning Alberta Golden Bears, is anxious to add more international games to the team’s resume.  “We had good game experience during the Pan Am Cup. We now want to gain some more for the Junior World Championship. We want to arrive there firing on all cylinders. I feel we are in good physical shape as a team. We have been together for a month now, but we also have a good group of returning players from last year. We may be a bit younger compared to other teams, but we can play them if play the best we can.”

In Kazan, Russia in 2013, Canada finished in fifth place. Canada has reached the quarterfinals in each of the last four FISU Games tournaments.

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.