Sharone Vernon Evans (Mohsen Abolghasem, Wikimedia Commons)
Team Canada is off to the round of 16 at the 2025 World Men’s Volleyball Championships in the Philippines. On Monday, Canada defeated Japan in straight sets by a score of 25-20, 25-23, 25-22. This was considered a minor upset as Japan is ranked seventh in the world and Canada is ranked eighth.
The Canadian win knocked Japan out of the tournament. Japan fell to 0-2 as they previously lost 25-19, 25-23, 25-19 to Turkey on Saturday.
Two Canadians reached double digits in points. Opposite spike Sharone Vernon-Evans of Scarborough, Ontario led Team Canada with 14 points (12 attack points, one ace and one blocked point). Meanwhile, captain and opposite hitter Nick Hoag of Sherbrooke, Quebec also reached double digits in points as he had 13 points (12 attack points and one ace). Middle blocker Fynnian McCarthy of Kelowna, British Columbia led Canada wth four block points, while setter Luke Herr of Three Hills, Alberta also had one ace. The biggest statistical difference in the game were blocks. Canada had 10 blocks as a team, and Japan only had two blocks. The Canadians also did a great job in silencing a pro-Japanese crowd.
Canada will next play Turkey on Wednesday at 12am. The winner wins Pool G. Other nations that have already qualified to the round of 16 so far are Turkey, Poland, the Netherlands, the United States, and Bulgaria.
AloJapan.com