Canada Returns 9 Olympic Team Members To World League Finals Roster

2017 FIVB WORLD LEAGUE – GROUP 1

• Group 1
• July 4-8
• Curitiba, Brazil
• FIVB World League Finals
• Schedule/Results

The Canadian squad comes in as the #5-seed of the World League Final Six after a third-week push boosted them to the top portion of the competition. In their first week of play, the Canadian crew went 2-1 with wins over Belgium and USA, followed by a loss to Serbia in the final match of the week. Week two saw Canada at the bottom of the pool with just one win in three matches, losing to Brazil and Poland but winning against Bulgaria. In the final week of the preliminary rounds of the World League, Canada took down Belgium and Italy but lost to the #1-seeded France.

Key Contributors

• John Gordon Perrin – Perrin has led the Canadian crew with 96 points so far in the competition. His points include 76 kills, seven blocks and 13 aces. Perrin’s 13 aces rank him #6 overall in serves with 0.38 aces per set.
• Blair Cameron Bann – Bann has been a force to be reckoned with in the backcourt, picking up 64 digs so far, ranking #2 in digs.
• Stephen Timothy Maar – Maar has also been a consistent choice for Canada, having put down 84 points in the World League so far on 73 kills, four blocks and seven aces.

With Perrin and Maar continuing their consistent output for the Canadians, they will be in decent shape going into the Final Six. Bann will have to continue his back row dominance, as well, to keep the Canadian’s alive.

Roster (* denotes 2016 Olympic team members)

• Tyler Sanders*
• John Gordon Perrin*
• Steven Marshall*
• Nicholas Hoag*
• Rudy Verhoeff*
• Justin Duff*
• Stephen Timothy Maar
• Jay Blankenau
• Jason Derocco
• Sharone Vernon-Evans
• Daniel Cornelius Jansen Vandoorn*
• Lucas Van Berkel
• Ryley Brendan Barnes
• Graham Vigrass*
• Bradley Robert Gunter
• Blair Cameron Bann*
• Arthur Szwarc
• Brett James Walsh

The Canadian side returns nine Olympic team members, carrying a lot of experience on their side, as well as raw, youth talent.

Final Six Play

Canada opens up their Final Six Play With Brazil on July 4 followed by Russia on July 5. The Canadian’s semifinal chances will rely on these two matches, along with how the rest of their competitors play.