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    Canada steers clear of VNL relegation after four-set win over China

    Canadians pull off gutsy win to avoid relegation
    Jul 9, 2023
    justin lui canada vs china vnl
    PHOTO: patrick romero

    CANADA snapped a four-game losing by dominating China, 23-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-18, in the Manila leg of the 2023 Volleyball Nations League on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

    Timothy Stephen Maar and Joseph Ryan Sclater showed the way with 20 points apiece as the Canadians concluded their 2023 VNL campaign on a high despite finishing with a 3-9 (win-loss) record.

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    The win should also be enough to steer Canada clear of relegation at the end of the multi-leg showcase.

    “Obviously it's a huge win. We needed this to stay in the VNL, but to also have our team win this game and put everything on the line and save ourselves was very emotional,” Maar said.

    "I’m really happy with how we performed with such pressure," he added.

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      After a slow start, conceding the opening set 23-25, the Canadians put the pedal to the metal and breezed past China in the following three frames.

      Canada team captain Nicholas Hoag followed suit with 12 points on nine attacks and three aces.

      “The main objective after a few losses was to aim to stay in the VNL for next summer. After the first set, I think the stress levels settled down and we started playing our game. We respected the game plan more for the rest of the game and we came out with the win,” said Hoag.

      China, on the other hand, were unfortunate to give up 29 points on errors as it ended its VNL run at the bottom with a 2-10 win-loss record.

      Outside Hitter Jingyin Zhang paced the Chinese with 25 points on 24 attacks and one ace.

      Both Canada and China now set their focus on the Olympic qualifiers that will take place from September 30 to October 8 in Brazil, China, and Japan.

      Box scores:

      Canada - Maar 20, Scalter 20, Hoag 12, Demyanenko 12, Van Berkel 4, Herr 1

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      China - Zhang 25, Li 10, Jiang 8, Peng 8, Yu 6, H. Wang 1, Zhai 1, B. Wang 1

      Set scores: 23-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-18

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      PHOTO: patrick romero
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