The Canadian men’s volleyball team will compete for gold in Rio at this summer’s Olympic Games, with TWU alumni Steven Marshall, Dan Jansen Van Doorn and Rudy Verhoeff on the team.
The three athletes and former Spartans helped the team secure a spot in Rio with a fourth-place finish at the FIVB World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Japan this past weekend. It will be the first time since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics that the Canadian team has qualified for the Games.
The team received one of four tickets to Rio by defeating the Chinese volleyball team and by ending the last-chance qualification tournament with a 4-3 overall record.
Marshall, who became a regular starter as the tournament progressed, finished with 26 kills, two blocks and one ace, while Jansen Van Doorn had 24 kills, 10 blocks and three aces over the course of the event. Team captain Verhoeff had five kills, one block and one ace.
In Rio, Canada will be part of Pool A, along with Brazil, Italy, USA, France and Mexico. The top four sides from each pool will move on to the elimination round. The Rio 2016 Olympic Games men’s volleyball tournament runs from August 7 to 21.
Meanwhile, TWU alumnus and former Spartan Chain Salk is on the verge of qualifying for the Olympic beach volleyball tournament. Schalk and his beach partner Ben Saxton currently sit at 13th in the FIVB World Tour rankings, with the top 15 teams earning a spot on the 24-team Olympic field.