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 in the service, achieving 8 aces against 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.
It gave us hope! Against Belgium, we played our worst match of the tournament and it was a difficult bit to swallow. We were nervous, but we knew what we had to do.
Nicholas Hoag
Argentina, sixth in the world rankings, also has a record of five wins and two losses in China. She finished third in Group C, having lost one more round 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 knew how to do 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.
An impact despite injuries
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 12e.
Another tear, this time in her right hip, was added before taking part in the Olympic qualifying tournament.
“It was quite complicated 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, both 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.