It was not time for celebration on Sunday despite the fourth consecutive victory for the Canadian volleyball players. “We end on a good note, but afterwards, you come back to the hotel and you see the Dominicans with their Olympic qualification caps,” summarized Vicky Savard.
The Canadians concluded the Olympic qualifying tournament by winning 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-21) against the Czechs. Even before the start of this final meeting, Savard and her teammates knew that they would not be able to leave Ningbo with a ticket for the Paris Games. Serbia and the Dominican Republic were already assured of finishing in the top two places in Group A.
The five places still vacant for the Olympic Games will be decided next year according to the world ranking.
“It’s a heartbreaking result,” admitted Vicky Savard in an interview with Sportcom. The Canadian team finished with a 5-2 record, like Serbia, but lost more sets than this team.
The Canadian women’s volleyball team has not participated in the Olympics since Atlanta in 1996.
The Olympic qualifying tournament started well for Shannon Winzer’s squad with a 3-2 victory against the Netherlands. They then lost to Serbia and the Dominican Republic before recording four victories in a row against China, Ukraine, Mexico and the Czech Republic.
The motivation was still there before facing the Czech Republic.
“From now on, we will have to go through the world rankings and every point counts,” said Vicky Savard. We had a lot of ups and downs this week, but we worked hard! We knew the points were important and we played some great volleyball today. »
British Columbia’s Kiera Van Ryk was the top Canadian scorer with 17 points, followed by Emily Maglio (13 points) and captain Alexa Gray (10 points). Vicky Savard managed a striking attack, she who was mandated to a more defensive role throughout the competition.
“I mainly came in as a fullback to bring stability to the reception and defense. This is one of the most difficult roles of my career! When I board, things are going badly and we need perfect reception. My nerves were tested, but I always entered the field with a lot of confidence and I had great presences,” shared the player from Jonquière.
Vicky Savard will now prepare for her professional season in Greece, where she will wear the colors of the Aris Thessaloniki club with Quebecer Kim Robitaille.