Summer Universiade W VBall (Aug 14): Reigning bronze medallists too much for Canada

STATISTICS: http://match.sz2011.org/pdf/VB/VBW101C01/VBW101C01.C73.ENG.1.0.pdf
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“We started out fast but made a couple of mistakes in the first and they took advantage,” said Team Canada’s head coach Alain Pelletier from Quebec City. “We had lots of energy in the third set and that’s what we need to keep improving in pool play.”

Canada did jump out to a quick 8-4 start in the first frame but Poland responded with some tough serves that disrupted the Canadian passing game and rolled out to an 18-12 margin, before holding on for a 25-19 set win.

Poland continued to press in the second stanza. With the set tied at 11-11, the Europeans won 14 of the next 20 points to coast to a two-set advantage.

In the third, Canada played its best volleyball of the evening as Marie-Sophie Nadeau, a native of Saint-Aimé, Que., kept swinging en route to a team-high 11 kills for the match. Team Canada had a chance to extend the affair as they led 23-20 but the veteran-laden Polish side fought back with a block, a middle hit and a great scrambled on defence to keep a rally going, with Canada finally dumping the ball in the net to even at 23. From there, it was side-out until Poland blocked a middle hit for the 28-26 set win and the 3-0 match.

Shanice Marcelle, the reigning CIS player of the year from Victoria, had five kills in the loss and was not pleased with the result.

“It is disappointing to lose. Poland was strong but we really pushed them in the third and parts of first and second. We look forward to our next challenge and now focus on playing tomorrow [against Taiwan].”

In the other Pool C match-up later in the day, Taiwan (1-0) won 3-1 (25-20, 24-26, 25-21, 25-22) over France (0-1).

Canada next plays Taiwan Monday at 6 p.m. local time (6 a.m. ET).