Volleyball: Long list of Canada West graduates help form World League Canadian men's team
by Volleyball Canada
OTTAWA - No fewer than 15 former Canada West student-athletes as part of the Volleyball Canada 22-man player roster submitted to the international federation (FIVB) for the Volleyball World League 2014.
"It is great to be back in Canada and preparing for another edition of World League," said Head Coach Glenn Hoag, who has returned to the National Team after coaching in Turkey for the pro season. "We are looking to build on the success of 2013, when our team won its pool, and provide Canadian volleyball fans with some great live action in our home games."
Canada is the top-ranked team (11) in Pool C – facing Belgium (37), Australia (14) and Finland (30). The schedule for the FIVB Volleyball World League 2014 matches played in Canada will be in Calgary May 31 and June 1 versus Finland; Vancouver June 13 and 14 vs. Belgium; and Edmonton June 20 and 21.
The team is led by captain Fred Winters, who just wrapped up another season playing in the Chinese professional league.
The 25th edition of the FIVB World League sees the competition increase from 18 to 28 teams split into seven pools of four teams each. It is the first time the FIVB's premiere event will feature such a large number of teams having had 16 teams from 2001-2003 and 2006-2012. The World League featured eight teams in its inaugural year in 1990, 10 in 1991, 12 from 1992-2000 and 2004-05 and then 18 in the 2013 edition.
World League is also an important tournament in the preparation of the men's team for the FIVB Men's World Championship in Poland next September. Canada's qualification tournament takes place May 16 to 19 at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Ontario.
Tickets for all Canadian matches (World League and World Champ Qualifier) are available at Ticketmaster, and both home and away games will be shown on Sportsnet ONE. Follow us on Twitter @vballcanada #WLCAN2014
Sanders, Tyler (London, ON)
Perrin, John Gordon (Creston, BC - Thomspon Rivers)
Lewis, Daniel (Oakville, ON)
DeRocco, Jason (East St. Paul, MB - Alberta)
Verhoeff, Rudy (Calgary, AB - Trinity Western)
Duff, Justin (Winnipeg, MB - Winnipeg)
Soonias, Dallas (Red Deer, AB - Alberta)
Simac, Adam (Ottawa, ON)
Schneider, Dustin (Winnipeg, MB - Winnipeg)
Van Lankvelt, Toontje (Brandon, MB - Manitoba)
Brinkman, Steve (Bowmanville, ON)
Schmitt, Gavin (Saskatoon, SK - Saskatchewan)
Hoag, Christopher (Sherbrooke, QC)
Kaminski, Adam (Chatham, ON - Alberta)
Winters, Frederic (Victoria, BC)
Gotch, Steve (Okotoks, AB - UBC)
Vigrass, Graham (Calgary, AB - Calgary)
Hoag, Nicholas (Sherbrooke, QC)
Bann, Blair (Edmonton, AB - UBC)
McGovern, Ciaran (Grande Prairie, AB - Calgary)
Blankenau, Jay (Calgary, AB - Calgary)
Marshall, Steven (Abbotsford, BC - Trinity Western)
Volleyball Canada
About Canada West Universities Athletic Association
Canada West is consistently the most decorated of the four conferences in Canadian Interuniversity Sport, winning 96 CIS national titles over the last 10 seasons. Comprised of 17 schools from the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada West produces numerous major award winners and Academic All-Canadian student-athletes each year, with many going on to athletic success around the globe in pro leagues or events such as the Olympics, Paralympics or Universiade Games. canadawest.org / canadawest.tv / @cwuaa on Twitter
A proud member of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).