Manitoban Eric Loeppky made an ace and the bench of the Canadian volleyball team was suddenly emptied. His teammates, including Quebecer Nicholas Hoag, joined him to celebrate the 3-0 victory against Mexico, but above all, a confirmed qualification for the Paris Olympic Games.
The Canadian volleyball players defeated the Mexican players in three sets of 25-20, 25-21 and 25-15 at the Olympic qualifying tournament which took place in Xi’an, China. They dominated their opponents at the net with 13 blocks to 5, as well as on serve, achieving 8 aces to only one for the opposing camp.
This fifth victory places them second in Group C and earned them the famous “En route vers Paris” cap.
“I’m still feeling a little emotional! It’s hard to explain and tell how I feel,” Nicholas Hoag shared with Sportcom.
The day before, Canada lost in four sets against Belgium and temporarily slipped to third place in its group. Only one round separated the two countries.
A few hours before starting their last game, the protégés of head coach Tuomas Sammelvuo saw the Belgian team lose in five sets against Bulgaria.
The door was ajar.
Argentina, sixth in the world rankings, also has a record of five wins and two defeats in China. She finished third in Group C, having lost one more set than Canada. Champions in the Nations League in July, the Poles were dominant and won their six duels of the tournament to take first place.
“A record of 5 wins and 2 losses is quite impressive considering the teams in our group. We played our own game and didn’t try to do too much,” analyzed Nicholas Hoag, who has already represented Canada on two occasions at the Olympic Games, in Rio and Tokyo.
“We beat teams who, on paper, should have beaten us, but we did the little things consistently and the results followed. We avoided the mistakes that we usually make in competition and that’s what made the difference. »
Germany, Brazil, the United States and Japan are the other nations to have ensured their presence in Paris in the various Olympic qualifying tournaments.
The last few weeks have been difficult and strewn with injuries for Nicholas Hoag. A torn left hip slowed him down following the Nations League tournament, where Canada placed 12th.
Another tear, this time in the right hip, was added before taking part in the Olympic qualifying tournament.
“It was pretty tough for me,” Hoag admitted. I put my ego aside and helped the team however I could. I entered the field to serve when the coach wanted and I tried to guide the younger players, in their preparation and in training. »
The captain of the Canadian team will now reunite with his teammates from the Arkas club in Turkey and prepare for his third Olympic Games. Stephen Maar, Lucas Van Berkel and Arthur Szwarc are the three other Canadians present in China to have participated in the Tokyo Games in 2021.
