News
Brazil and Poland will clash on the opening day of the World League in Toronto this Friday. These two powerhouses play Canada on Saturday and Sunday respectively (Photo: FIVB)
Volleyball fans all over the world will keep an eye on Canada this coming weekend as Toronto will be one of the four cities to host the first stop of 2012 FIVB World League at RicoH Coliseum. Team Canada returns to the WL after a five-year absence. The Canadians start their journey on Friday, 4:00 p.m. EST against an efficient team from Finland. Rogers Sportsnet One will broadcast Canada-Finland on tape delay at 11:00 p.m. EST.
On Saturday at 4:00 p.m. EST Canada takes on Brazil, number one on FIVB rank and nine time World League champions. The match will be broadcast live on CBC. Finally on Sunday at 8:00 p. m. EST, the Canucks play Poland (ranked 4th in the world) carried live on Rogers Sportsnet One. Sixteen squads take part on WL split in four groups. This year, each participant hosts a weekend where they play in a round-robin format. The finals will be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, July 4-8 with six teams made up of the: Host, the four pool winners and the best second place.
A preview of Canada, Brazil, Poland and Finland after the jump.
The 2012 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour in Myslowice, Poland. Photo: FIVB
The second stop on the 2012 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour for the men is in Myslowice, Poland this week. Just like last week in Brazil, we have five men's teams competing in this leg of the tour. None of the men's teams have enough entry points to gain direct access to the main draw this week so they will all have to go through the country quota go get into the qualification round. There are only five teams so only one match will have to be played. Like last week, it is another matchup between Zbyszewski-Schalk and Van Huizen-May.
Canadian Men's Teams in Myslowice, Poland
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Saxton-Redmann |
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Hatch-Schachter |
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Binstock-Reader |
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Zbyszewski-Schalk |
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Van Huizen-May |
Live streams, results and match ups after the jump.
Canadian players celebrate a point during the 2010 worlds (Photo: FIVB)
Team Canada is about to make their return to the FIVB World League after a five-year absence. The Canadians are in Pool B alongside Brazil, Poland, and Finland. This past weekend, both the Brazilian and Polish leagues have concluded, meaning our opponents will start their preparation for this year's World League Tournament. Brazil and Poland were the silver and bronze medallists (respectively) last year.
The Brazilian league (called Superliga) ended on Saturday. Brazil has been dominating indoor volleyball since 2001 remaining as number one on The FIVB World Rankings despite the Russian victory at 2011 World Cup, the latest major tournament. With the end of Superliga, coach Bernardo Rezende will call the players for World League and the Olympics (Brazil is the only country that hasn’t sent their roster to FIVB so far). In the final match, Cruzeiro won the title for the first time defeating Volei Futuro 3-1. Both teams are led by their setters. Cruzeiro’s is William Arjona, nicknamed “el mago” during the years he played in Argentina and chosen Superliga MVP. On Volei Futuro side, Ricardo Garcia, considered by many the best setter ever. Arjona won this time. You can check the match highlights. Some of these players may be seen on Rezende’s list.
The Polish league, called PlusLiga, is also over.