Langley – TWU alumni will once again help lead Canada’s men’s volleyball into the Olympic Games, as three Spartan alums – Ryan Sclater (’17, Port Coquitlam, B.C.), Steve Marshall (’13, Abbotsford, B.C.) and Lucas Van Berkel (’14, Edmonton) – were named to Canada’s 12-man Olympic roster for the upcoming Games in Tokyo.
For Marshall, the roster nod marks his second opportunity to compete with Canada in the Olympics, as he was one of three Spartans who also represented Canada in Rio in 2016. For Sclater and Van Berkel, this year’s nomination will be both of their first opportunities to don the Maple Leaf at the Olympic Games.
Canada also named two Spartans to their three-man alternate contingent, including Eric Loeppky (’20, Steinbach, Man.) and Dan Jansen Van Doorn (’13, Langley), who was part of Canada’s playing roster in Rio. All told, including alternates, TWU alums make up five of Canada’s 15-man group. The alternates will train with the team up until the start of the Games.
The Spartan quintet is coming off helping Canada to a successful Volleyball Nations League campaign, which saw the Canadians finish eighth overall that saw the team end the tournament on a five-match winning streak.
Canada is competing in men’s volleyball at back-to-back Olympic Games, following their quarterfinals appearance at Rio 2016, which marked Canada’s return to the men’s Olympic volleyball tournament after a 24-year absence.
The team qualified for Tokyo in January 2020 at home in Vancouver after defeating Puerto Rico and winning the NORCECA Men’s Tokyo Qualification Tournament. Canada was the only undefeated team at the four-country event.
The team is currently attending a training camp in Turkey and will then move to Shiwa, Japan for its final Tokyo preparations.
Team Canada is in Pool A and plays its first match on July 24 (Day 1) against Italy.
Team Canada | Olympic Games Roster
Blair Bann (Edmonton, Alta.)
Jay Blankenau (Sherwood Park, Alta.)
Nicholas Hoag (Sherbrooke, Que.)
Stephen Maar (Aurora, Ont.)
Steven Marshall (Abbotsford, B.C.)
Gordon Perrin (captain) (Creston, B.C.)
TJ Sanders (London, Ont.)
Ryan Sclater (Port Coquitlam, B.C.)
Arthur Szwarc (Toronto, Ont.)
Lucas Van Berkel (Edmonton, Alta.)
Sharone Vernon-Evans (Scarborough, Ont.)
Graham Vigrass (Calgary, Alta.)
Alternates:
Eric Loeppky (Steinbach, Man.)
Daniel Jansen Van Doorn (Langley, B.C.)
Brett Walsh (Calgary, Alta.)
