Canada's sitting volleyball teams ready to show net gains at world championships

Canada's national sitting volleyball teams are set to compete against the top competition from around the globe this week at the world championships in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The women's team is ready to push for its first-ever podium at worlds following a fourth-place Paralympic finish, while the men look to continue their growth on the world stage with a new offence leading the charge.

The teams will be split into three pools for the women's preliminary round robin, and four pools for the men's — the first of five phases to determine the world champions. The tournament winners automatically qualify for the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.

In addition to the top-ranked Americans, the Canadian women will also be competing against Slovenia (No. 10) and Iran (No. 14) in Pool B.

Pool A includes unranked host Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda (No. 7), Ukraine (No. 8), Hungary (No. 16) and Poland (No. 23). Pool C features Brazil (No. 4), Italy (No. 5), Finland (No. 11) and Germany (No. 12).

Sitting volleyball mostly follows the same rules as standing volleyball. There are six players per side, with a smaller court and lower net height.

Veteran group

The Canadian women are led by longtime head coach Nicole Ban, who is confident the team's depth and experience will pay dividends.

"The majority of our Tokyo roster has returned — Sarah Melenka has rejoined the program and we have added two newcomers, Jennifer McCreesh and Jayme Lepp," Ban said. "We have more depth than ever and are ready to showcase that."

"Our experience will be important as our pool has the reigning Paralympic gold medallists, USA, meaning we will be tested right away in round robin play. We will also play Slovenia and Iran who are tough competitors as well."

'Ready to show our improvements'

Canada's women's team narrowly missed the podium at last year's Tokyo Paralympics, falling to Brazil in a tough bronze-medal match. It was a major improvement on their seventh-place finish in the team's Paralympic debut at Rio 2016.

The Canadian women trained for worlds at the Edmonton Volleyball Pickleball Centre before wrapping up preparations with a final training camp in Italy late last month.

They open their tournament against Slovenia on Saturday at 4:15 a.m. ET, followed by two matchups on Sunday against the U.S. and Iran.

Canadian men's equation for success

The Canadian men's team didn't qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics, but have been putting the work in to prepare for their big opportunity at worlds, including a recent training camp in the U.S.

While the team is at a different stage of development compared to the Canadian women's team, men's head coach Jeff Smith said the 13th-ranked Canadians have a plan in place to achieve their own goals in Sarajevo.

Canada will compete in Pool C along with Brazil (No. 4), Germany (No. 8) and Poland (No. 16).

"We have developed a new offence that will suit us very well in our pool for world championships. We have seen Germany, Brazil, and match up very well against Poland. Our goal is to finish top 10 at world championships and I believe the team we have can do so," Smith said.

"We want to play a faster tempo game and rely on ball control and our defence as part of our equation for success."

Pool A features three-time world champion Bosnia and Herzegovina (No. 2), the U.S. (No. 10), Japan (No. 11) and Serbia (No. 21).

Pool B includes top-ranked Iran, Iraq (No. 17), Kazakhstan (No. 9) and Croatia (No. 12), while Pool D has Egypt (No. 5), Ukraine (No. 7), Rwanda (No. 14) and the Netherlands (No. 15).

The Canadian men open their tournament on Friday against Germany at 10:30 a.m. ET.

Canadian women's schedule:

• Saturday, Nov. 5: Canada vs. Slovenia (4:15 a.m. ET)
• Sunday, Nov. 6: Canada vs. U.S. (4 a.m. ET), Canada vs. Iran (2:30 p.m. ET)

Canadian men's schedule:

• Friday, Nov. 4: Canada vs. Germany (10:30 a.m. ET)
• Saturday, Nov. 5: Canada vs. Poland (6:30 a.m. ET)
• Sunday, Nov. 6: Canada vs. Brazil (6:45 a.m. ET)

Canadian women's roster:

• #2 Julie Kozun — Melfort, Sask.
• #3 Danielle Ellis (C) — White Rock, B.C.
• #4 Jennifer Oakes — Calgary
• #5 Payden Vair — Cardston, Alta.
• #6 Angelena Dolezar — St. Albert, Alta.
• #7 Anne Fergusson — Carleton Place, Ont.
• #8 Jolan Wong — Vermilion, Alta.
• #9 Sarah Melenka — Vegreville, Alta.
• #10 Jayme Lepp — Vancouver
• #11 Heidi Peters — Neerlandia, Alta.
• #14 Katelyn Wright — Edmonton
• #15 Felicia Voss-Shafiq — Burnaby, B.C.
• #16 Jennifer McCreesh — Smithers, B.C.
• #17 Allison Lang — Edmonton

Canadian men's roster:

• #2 Mikael Bartholdy — Calgary
• #3 Austin Hinchey — Edmonton
• #5 Nasif Chowdhury — Toronto
• #6 Bryce Foster — Thunder Bay, Ont.
• #7 Douglas Learoyd (C) — Calgary
• #9 Andrew Tucker — Brampton, Ont.
• #10 Christopher Bird — Brandon, Man.
• #11 José Rebelo — Saint-Hubert, Que.
• #13 Dariusz Symonowicz — Toronto
• #14 Connor Compton — Calgary
• #19 Jason Beaman — Vancouver