Langley/Vancouver – Trinity Western University alums will make up nearly 30 per cent of Canada’s men’s national team roster this weekend, as four Spartans will represent Canada at the NORCECA Men’s Tokyo Qualification Tournament (Jan. 10-12) at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.
The Spartans quartet includes Ryan Sclater (’17, Port Coquitlam, B.C.), Lucas Van Berkel (’14, Edmonton), Steven Marshall (’13, Abbotsford, B.C.) and Dan Jansen VanDoorn (’13, Langley).
The group of four is part of a 14-man Canadian roster that will compete in a round robin event this weekend, with the winner of the four-team tournament earning a trip to Tokyo.
Canada, who is ranked No. 7 in the FIVB World Rankings, will face Mexico (No. 21) on Friday (6:30 p.m.), Cuba (No. 18) on Saturday (6 p.m.), and Puerto Rico (No. 24) on Sunday (4 p.m.).
With the four Spartans representing Canada on the men’s side, Trinity Western has a total of eight Olympic aspiring individuals donning the Maple Leaf this weekend, with Brie King (Langley, B.C.), Alicia Perrin (’15, Creston, B.C.) and Kristen Moncks (’15, Standard, Alta.), along with TWU men’s volleyball coach Ben Josephson, who is an assistant coach with Canada’s team, competing for Canada at the Olympic qualifying tournament in the Dominican Republic.
Meanwhile, the No. 1-ranked Spartans men’s volleyball team is also at home this weekend as TWU hosts Mount Royal Jan. 10 (4 p.m.) and Jan. 11 (1 p.m.) at the Langley Events Centre. The No. 1-ranked Spartans women’s team is also at home as they host No. 5 Mount Royal Jan. 10 (6 p.m.) and Jan. 11 (3 p.m.).
Canada’s Schedule – All Matches at the Pacific Coliseum
vs. Mexico – Jan. 10 – 6:30 p.m. (PT)
vs. Cuba – Jan. 11 – 6 p.m. (PT)
vs. Puerto Rico – Jan. 12 – 4 p.m. (PT)
Canada Roster
#1 TJ Sanders, London, ON
#2 Gordon Perrin, Creston, BC (captain)
#3 Steven Marshall, Abbotsford, BC
#4 Nicholas Hoag, Sherbrooke, QC
#6 Ryley Barnes, Edmonton, AB
#7 Stephen Maar, Aurora, ON
#8 Jay Blankenau, Sherwood Park, AB
#10 Sharone Vernon-Evans, Scarborough, ON
#11 Daniel Jansen Vandoorn, Langley, BC
#12 Lucas Van Berkel, Edmonton, AB
#16 Ryan Sclater, Port Coquitlam, BC
#17 Graham Vigrass, Calgary, AB
#19 Blair Bann, Edmonton, AB
#20 Arthur Szwarc, Toronto, ON
Staff
Glenn Hoag (Head Coach)
Dan Lewis (Assistant Coach)
Gino Brousseau (Assistant Coach)
Lionel Bonnaure (Statistician)
Tracy Blake (Therapist)
Julien Boucher (Team Manager)
Michael Cook (Fitness Coach)
Kyle Paquette (Mental Performance Coach)
