CANADA exhibited both power and grit against fan favorite powerhouse Japan, 25-21, 20-25, 25-15, 20-25, 15-10, to cap the Manila leg opener of the 2024 Volleyball Men’s Nations League (VNL) with a statement win on Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Stephen Maar unleashed on the Japanese side with a game-high 24 markers on 22 attacks and two aces on top of back-to-back 15-point displays from Arthur Szwarc and Eric Loeppky, as Canada kept hold of seventh place at 5-4.
For Manila first-timer Loeppky, entering the first week of a VNL leg in a new country has its pros and cons, but he’s glad to be making the most of it all.
“It’s the first game of the week. You never know what you’re gonna expect, but I think we came out really strong and they’re (Japan) a good team, so we battled hard," he said.
“The fans were awesome here. It's my first time in the Philippines, so really enjoyed that, but yeah, really happy we came out with the win.”
Canada continues building momentum
With its quarterfinals spot still in limbo, maintaining its high-octane form dating back to the VNL's previous leg in Fukuoka, Japan was tantamount to Canada for a strong finish in the preliminaries.
“For us, it’s consistency. Last week, we were able to get big wins, but the following game, we struggled a bit. I think that’s our next goal: To see how consistent can we play for the next match,” Loeppky added.
Japan mainstays Yuji Nishida and captain Yuki Ishikawa paced a difficult defeat with 19 points apiece as Ran Takahashi’s 13-piece couldn’t complete Ryujin Nippon’s five-set comeback bid. They now drop to sixth place at 6-3.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
