OTTAWA (CIS) - Canadian Interuniversity Sport announced Thursday the 11 student-athletes who will represent Canada in women's basketball at the 25th Summer Universiade from July 1-12 in Belgrade, Serbia.

Official website 2009 Summer Universiade:
www.universiade-belgrade2009.org

Team Canada website:
www.universitysport.ca/belgrade

Led by reigning CIS player of the year Kayla Dykstra, a University of Victoria centre who hails from Calgary, the Canadian team features six 2008-09 CIS all-Canadians and will look to improve on a seventh-place finish at the 2007 University Games in Bangkok, Thailand.

"I'm excited with the group of players we get to work with," said UBC head coach Deb Huband, who will split the head coaching duties in Belgrade with Laval's Linda Marquis. "We have a nice mix of talented CIS players in addition to some very good players from the NCAA. For some this will be their first time representing Canada, while others have come up through the age group development programs to get to this point.

"The tournament is going to be a bit of a grind but this group certainly has the ability to compete."

The reigning CIS champion Simon Fraser Clan sends two athletes to Serbia, guard Robyn Buna of Kelowna, B.C., and centre Laurelle Weigl of Stony Plain, Alta., both second-team all-Canadians in 2008-09. Buna led the Clan in scoring with 16.0 points per game last season with Weigl, the 2006-07 CIS rookie of the year and CIS championship MVP, following close behind at 14.0 ppg.

Both returnees from the 2007 Universiade team hail from the Laval Rouge et Or: guard Chanelle St-Amour of Montreal and centre Marie-Michelle Genois of Quebec City. St-Amour had a stellar freshman season at Laval in 2008-09 being selected Quebec conference MVP, CIS rookie of the year and a first-team all-Canadian, while Genois has been named an all-Canadian each of her first three university campaigns.

Dykstra led the very competitive Canada West conference in both scoring (18.61 ppg) and rebounding (11.7 rpg) in 2008-09, totals that were good for second and third in the country, respectively.

Kelsey Hodgson of Fredericton, a first-team all-Canadian guard at Cape Breton, and UBC forward Zara Huntley of Halifax round out the CIS players on the Canadian squad. Hodgson led the nation in scoring last season averaging an exceptional 25.8 points a game.

Point guard Carolann Cloutier of St-Mathieu-de-Beloeil, Que., was the lone college player named to Team Canada. One of the most heavily recruited players in the nation, the product of Montreal's Dawson College will suit up for Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., next fall.

Three NCAA players, Vermont's Courtney Pilypaitis of Ottawa, Delaware's Vanessa Kabongo of Toronto and Michigan State's Kalisha Keane of Ajax, Ont., complete the Canadian team.

Pilypaitis was the 2006-07 America East conference rookie of the year and the 2007-08 MVP, and led the Catamounts to the America East tournament championship this year, earning tournament-MVP honours in the process.

Kabongo is a veteran of Canada Basketball's National Elite Development Academy (NEDA) program. Keane made the Big Ten all-freshmen team in 2007-08.

The Canadian coaching tandem of Huband and Marquis brings extensive international experience to the team.

The 2003-04 CIS coach of the year, Huband was head coach of the 2003 Universiade team that finished 13th in Daegu, South Korea, and an assistant with the 11th-place team at the 2005 Games in Izmir, Turkey. Marquis has twice been named CIS coach of the year and has worked for Canada Basketball in many capacities, including head coach of the national development team.

The two women worked together as assistant coaches at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. As a player, Huband was team captain when Canada finished fourth at the 1984 Olympics.

Rounding out the coaching staff as an assistant is another former CIS coach of the year, Cape Breton's Fabian McKenzie, who led his Capers to the CIS national final in 2005-06.

Moriah Trowell, an assistant with the uOttawa Gee-Gees, will act as team leader in Serbia.

"I'm a really big fan of this tournament," said Huband, who has led UBC to three national titles over the past six years. "It's the closest thing you will get to an Olympics and for Canada Basketball to be sending a younger group, it is going to be great exposure and experience for these athletes in a high quality, high distractions environment. This is the best environment for our players to learn how to play at the international level and they will really be pushed to excel if they want to succeed."

Canada will face a daunting challenge in the preliminary round with Japan, Slovakia and defending gold medallist Australia joining the red and white in Group B.

"The 16 teams in the field this year are extremely strong, probably the best group I have seen in a long time," Huband said. "There are a lot of strong European teams and Europe is definitely a hotbed for women's basketball. We are going to be challenged to get out of our pool, having to face established teams like Australia and Japan, and Slovakia certainly isn't going to be a pushover."

The Canadians open the tournament on Canada Day with a date against Slovakia, followed by contests with Japan and Australia July 2 and 3. En route to a gold-medal performance in Bangkok in 2007, the Aussies spoiled Canada's medal hopes with a 66-53 win in the first playoff game after the Canadians had cruised through the preliminary round with a perfect 3-0 record.

Semifinals are set for July 9, with the bronze and gold medal games going on July 11.

The seventh-place finish in 2007 continued a recent trend that has seen Canada steadily improve its final placing over the past three Universiades from 13th in 2003 and 11th in 2005.

Canada's best Universiade finishes in women's basketball came in 1991 (Sheffield, England) and 1979 (Mexico City), where the team captured bronze medals.

TEAM CANADA ROSTER

Position - Name - University - Eligibility * - Hometown

Guard Robyn Buna Simon Fraser 3 Kelowna, B.C.
Guard Carolann Cloutier Dawson College - St-Mathieu-de-Beloeil, Que.
Guard Kelsey Hodgson Cape Breton 4 Fredericton, N.B.
Guard Vanessa Kabongo Delaware 2 Toronto, Ont.
Guard Courtney Pilypaitis Vermont 3 Ottawa, Ont.
Guard Chanelle St-Amour Laval 1 Montreal, Que.
Forward Zara Huntley UBC 2 Halifax, N.S.
Forward Kalisha Keane Michigan State 2 Ajax, Ont.
Centre Kayla Dykstra Victoria 3 Calgary, Alta.
Centre Marie-Michelle Genois Laval 3 Quebec City, Que.
Centre Laurelle Weigl Simon Fraser 3 Stony Plain, Alta.

* Indicates year of eligibility used in 2008-09 CIS or NCAA season.

STAFF

Team leader: Moriah Trowell, Ottawa
Co-head coach: Deb Huband, UBC
Co-head coach: Linda Marquis, Laval
Assistant coach: Fabian McKenzie, Cape Breton
Medical: Nathan King

TEAM CANADA SCHEDULE (all times ET)

July 1 6:30 a.m. Preliminary Group B: Canada vs. Slovakia
July 2 6:30 a.m. Preliminary Group B: Canada vs. Japan
July 3 6:30 a.m. Preliminary Group B: Canada vs. Australia

July 5 TBD 2nd Phase
July 6 TBD 2nd Phase
July 7 TBD 2nd Phase

July 9 TBD Semi-finals
July 11 TBD Gold/bronze medal games

CANADA'S RESULTS IN W BBALL AT SUMMER UNIVERSIADE (last 3 appearances):

2007 (Bangkok, Thailand): 7th / 16 teams
2005 (Izmir, Turkey): 11th / 20
2003 (Daegu, South Korea): 13th / 17

CANADA'S BEST RESULT IN W BBALL AT SUMMER UNIVERSIADE:

1991 (Sheffield, England): bronze
1979 (Mexico City, Mexico): bronze

About the Summer Universiade

The Summer Universiade is an international multi-sport event that takes place every two years, and is second only to the Olympic Games in the number of participating athletes and countries. The Universiade is open to competitors between the ages of 17 and 28 in the year of the Games who are full-time students at a post-secondary institution (university, college, CEGEP) or have graduated from a post-secondary institution in the year preceding the event.

-CIS-