It’s a busy summer for some current and former Tigers on the international volleyball stage.
Men’s volleyball player Michael Donovan made his way to Gatineau, Quebec a few days ago to join Canada’s U23 team as part of Volleyball Canada’s National Excellence Program (NEP). They’re training out of Centre Sportif de Gatineau and staying in apartments near by and recently returned from a tournament June 20-24 in Brazil. Team Canada earned a silver medal at the event.
It’s the fifth time he’s been selected to a national team and he continues to relish the opportunity.
“My goals are to improve all aspects of the game, learn the new Volleyball Canada systems and bring all of that experience back to my team at Dalhousie,” says Donovan. “I am most looking forward to competing with a new group of guys and learn from them.”
Up next, Donovan will join Tigers head coach Dan Ota on the Next Gen Final 6 team.
Ota is re-joining the national team coaching ranks to lead the men’s Next Gen Final 6 team this summer.
“When my long-time colleague and friend, Ben Josephson, was announced as the new head coach of our senior men’s national team program it seemed like a good opportunity for me to return to Team Canada and help in any way that I could,” says Ota. “I’m thrilled to have been asked to work with Team Canada athletes over the next several weeks at the men’s national team training centre located in Gatineau, and help the group prepare for their NORCECA event in Mexico in July. Wearing the maple leaf and representing Canada is both an honour and a tremendous responsibility.”
Middle blocker Grace Calnan recently finished her second year of eligibility with the Tigers and has been named to Canada’s Next Gen team. She will be spending most of her summer in Richmond, British Columbia training and fighting for a spot on the roster at the Pan American Final 6 in the Dominican Republic in August.
She and her fellow Canucks are practicing Monday and Friday in addition to weight room workouts. It’s Calnan’s second time being named to a national team and she plans to make the most of the opportunity.
“I’m really focused on improving my skills these next few months,” says Calnan. “I’m so grateful to be a part of this team and am very excited to have the opportunity to represent my country.”
Calnan’s Tiger teammate and fellow Nova Scotian, Isabella Noble has already been competing for Canada as a member of Volleyball Canada’s U21 team. The first-year setter was part of a larger group selected to train May 25 to June 4 at the University of Alberta in Edmonton and was selected to the 12-player roster to compete at the 2022 Women’s U21 Pan American Cup on June 5-13 in Mexico.
Incoming middle blocker Madeleine Vincett has been added to Team Canada’s U19 Training group and will be training with that team in her native Calgary for a few weeks in July.
Finally, former Tigers standout Courtney Baker (2015-20) is part of a 14-player roster representing Canada in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL).
It’s the first time Canada has entered a team in the four-year history of the league which runs from May 31 to July 24 and includes both men’s and women’s competition (16 teams each gender).
The first leg of league play took place in Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana, May 31 to June 5, before they headed to the Philippines. They will play the third leg June 28 to July 3 at the Seven Chiefs Sportsplex, in Tsuut'ina Nation here in Canada.
The women’s finals for 2022 will be held in Ankara, Turkey.