Canadian men’s volleyball team knocks off Bulgaria at Nations League

RIMINI, Italy — The Canadian men’s volleyball team improved to 2-3 in Nations League play with a 3-0 win over Bulgaria on Friday.

Set scores were 28-26, 25-23 and 25-16.

Nicholas Hoag led Canada with 12 points, while Sharone Vernon-Evans and Arthur Szwarc had nine apiece.

Canada faces Italy on Saturday.

The annual international men’s and women’s competition featuring the world’s top 16 teams in each gender was cancelled in 2020 because of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The Canadian men’s and women’s squads will each play a 15-match preliminary round until June 23. 

The top four countries advance to the semifinals and finals. 

Canada is 10th in the men’s standings. On the women’s side, Canada (2-4) is 12th.

The Canadian men, ranked No. 10 in the world, have qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics starting July 23. Nations League is important preparation for them after a year of no matches as a team.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2021.

The Canadian Press