Canada using last year’s lessons to do better in 2022

Canada’s stated goal entering the Volleyball Nations League 2022 was to do better than they did last year, when, playing in the tournament for the first time, the North Americans won three of their 15 matches.

· Watch all VNL 2022 matches live on Volleyball TV.

They are not there yet, but after triumphing in three of their first six matches, the Canadians certainly seem to be on the right path. The team started the second week of competition in Quezon City, the Philippines, losing to Thailand, but bounced back against Belgium and still have China and Bulgaria in the next few days to try and add a few more wins to their total.

One of the most experienced players in the squad, captain Jennifer Cross was the first to point to the team’s 2021 campaign as a building block for what they’re trying to accomplish this year. According to the 29-year-old middle blocker, the team's good level last year gave the players the confidence to aim higher this season.

“After our debut at last year’s VNL, I think we proved, not only to ourselves but to everyone else, that we belong in the competition and playing against the best teams in the world,” Cross told Volleyball World. “We were happy with our positive results, but very far from satisfied. I believe it’s important for us to continue to focus on our own development and our Canadian style of volleyball. We have all the pieces of the puzzle, we just have to put them together and play more constantly.”

Volleyball Nations League 2022: Schedule and results

Another factor that makes a Canadian breakthrough campaign more likely in 2022 is the fact that players and coaching staff are now more familiar with each other after spending time together at the VNL, the NORCECA Championship and the Pan American Cup in 2021.

Last year was the first for head coach Shannon Winzer with the team, and Cross believes that with a better understanding of her working methods and ideas, the team will perform even better in this year’s VNL.

“Having one more year under our belts has been huge,” she reflected. “Last VNL, we only had two weeks together to try to get to know a new system and a new way of doing things. This season we headed into it with our routines and expectations already set. This means we can really focus more on volleyball and making the small detailed improvements we need as a programme. It’s also exciting to have some more young guns making their way onto the programme and a great sign to where volleyball in Canada is headed.”

This year, the Canadians will also have the luxury of counting on the support of their home fans in four of their 12 Preliminary Round matches. With the city of Calgary hosting the third week of the event, from June 28-July 3, the team will be backed by their supporters in their difficult matches against Turkey, Serbia, Germany and the Netherlands.

The team captain believes the benefits of the country hosting a VNL pool will certainly be felt on the court, but likely outside of it as well.

“We are so excited to play at home,” she reacted. “For us, playing an international competition in Canada doesn’t happen often, so it will be really special. It’s also a great opportunity to showcase to our friends, family and the general volleyball community what high-level international volleyball looks like. I’m sure we will get a big boost of energy from our fans and we cannot wait for it. Volleyball is constantly growing in Canada and hopefully hosting a tournament like this will inspire some kids to stay in the sport and will push the volleyball level forward in the country.”

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