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OTTAWA (CIS) - Canadian Interuniversity Sport, as the Canadian representative of the Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU), announced on Wednesday the athletes and staff who will represent Canada in women's volleyball at the 2005 Summer Universiade.
The 23rd Summer Universiade, regrouping 9,000 participants from 170 countries, will be held August 11-21 in Izmir, Turkey.
Leading the way for the Canadian contingent will be senior national team middle Stephanie Wheler of Saskatoon, as well as middle Shelley Chalmers of Burnaby, B.C. and setter Larissa Cundy of Edmonton, both national B team members who were pre-selected in May following a training camp of the senior team.
The roster for the Izmir Games was finalized this weekend, following an open try-out that attracted 30 players from 16 Canadian and US Universities at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton.
Cundy, one of two returning players from the 2003 Universiade in South Korea, along with libero Amanda Moppett of Calgary, is one of five University of Alberta athletes named to the Canadian squad. Nine of the 12 team members hail from the Canada West regional association.
"We are very pleased to have seven athletes returning from last year's national B / Universiade team that trained in preparation for this year's event," commented Laurie Eisler, in her second stint as head coach of the student national team after leading Canada at the 1995 Universiade in Fukuoka, Japan. "We have lost two-time CIS MVP Joanna Niemczewska to the senior national team but have welcomed the addition of Stephanie Wheler who was placed from the A team to our group by national team coach, Lorne Sawula. Stephanie's international experience and level of play will be great assets to our squad."
"This is one of the first Universiade teams comprised mainly of CIS players on which every athlete has prior national team experience either at the junior or senior level," added Eisler, who leads the University of Alberta women's volleyball program during the CIS season. "This will certainly assist us in making the transition to international play."
Canada, whose best result in women's volleyball at the Summer Universiade is a fourth-place finish in 1997 in Italy, placed 11th in 2003. China won the tournament, with Taiwan and Russia claiming silver and bronze.
For the 24-team tournament in Izmir, the Canadian women have been grouped with host Turkey, Thailand, the Czech Republic, Estonia and New Zealand for the preliminary round. Canada will open the competition against the Czech Republic on August 12. The championship final is set for August 21.
"We realize that the challenges we face will be significant with the depth of competition we'll be facing in our preliminary pool," analyzed Eisler, whose team will need to finish among the top two in its group in order to advance to the championship side.
Prior to travelling to Turkey on August 4, the Canadian team will train in Edmonton, travel to Winnipeg to train and compete with the senior national team, and then move on to France for preparatory competition with the French Universiade team and Japan.
Wheler, a 22-year-old who completed her fourth campaign at the University of Saskatchewan in 2004-05, has been with the senior national team since 2001.
Chalmers, who led the UBC Thunderbirds to the silver medal at the 2005 CIS championship in March, and Cundy were named to the CIS second all-Canadian team this season.
Also making the trip to Turkey is setter Natalie Schwartz of St. Albert, Alta., a 2004-05 first-team all-Canadian who, along with two-time all-Canadian Moppett, captured the CIS title with the University of Calgary in 2003-04, and followed up with a bronze-medal performance this season.
The lone QSSF representative on the team, Laval University outside hitter Marylene Laplante of St-Elzear-de-Beauce, Que. was named CIS player of the year back in 2002-03.
Rounding out the Canadian Universiade squad are 18-year-old University of Alberta middle Alexa Berton of Saskatoon, U of A teammates and outside hitters Tiffany Dodds of Lucky Lake, Sask., Amanda Atkinson of Calahoo, Alta., and Tawana Wardlaw of Edmonton, University of Montana outside hitter Claudia Houle of Ste-Anne-du-Sault, Que., and Dalhousie University outside hitter Jilliane Goulet of Arnprior, Ont.
Assisting Eisler on the sidelines will be University of Regina head coach Melanie Sanford of Saskatoon, and U of A assistant coach Mike Ling of Edmonton.
CANADIAN STAFF
Name School Hometown Position
Laurie Eisler U of Alberta Regina, Sask. Head coach Melanie Sanford U of Regina Saskatoon, Sask.Assistant coach Mike Ling U of Alberta Edmonton, Alta. Assistant coach
CANADIAN ATHLETES
Name School Hometown Position
Larissa Cundy U of Alberta Edmonton, Alta. Setter Natalie Schwartz U of Calgary St. Albert, Alta. Setter Claudia Houle U of Montana Ste-Anne-du-Sault, Que. Outside Tiffany Dodds U of Alberta Lucky Lake, Sask. Outside Marylene Laplante Laval U St-Elzear-de-Beauce, Que.Outside Amanda Atkinson U of Alberta Calahoo, Alta. Outside Tawana Wardlaw U of Alberta Edmonton, Alta. Outside Jilliane Goulet Dalhousie U Arnprior, Ont. Outside Stephanie Wheler U of Sask Saskatoon, Sask. Middle Shelley Chalmers UBC Burnaby, B.C. Middle Alexa Berton U of Alberta Saskatoon, Sask. Middle Amanda Moppett U of Calgary Calgary, Alta. Libero
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (all times EST)
Aug. 12 Canada vs. Czech Republic, 11 a.m. Aug. 13 Canada vs. Estonia, 11 a.m. Aug. 14 Canada vs. Turkey, 8 a.m. Aug. 15 Canada vs. Thailand, 1 p.m. Aug. 16 Canada vs. New Zealand, 11 a.m. Aug. 17-21 Playoffs (Gold medal game: Aug. 21, 6 a.m.)
About CIS and the Universiade
The Summer Universiade is a multi-sport event that takes place every two years, and is second in size only to the Olympic Games. The Universiade is open to competitors between the ages of 17 and 28 in the year of the Games, who are full-time post-secondary students (university, college, CEGEP) or have graduated from a post-secondary institution within the previous year of the event.
The 23rd Summer Universiade to be held Aug. 11-21, 2005 in Izmir, Turkey will feature some 9,000 participants including 8,000 student-athletes from 170 countries competing in the following sports: archery, athletics, basketball, diving, fencing, gymnastics, sailing, soccer, swimming, taekwondo, tennis, volleyball, water polo, and wrestling.
For all the info on the 2005 Summer Universiade:
Official site Izmir 2005: www.universiadeizmir.org/en Team Canada site: www.cisport.ca/izmir2005
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Its 51 members, 10,000 student-athletes and 550 coaches vie for 19 national championships in 11 different sports. CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at the Winter and Summer Universiades, and 27 world university championships. For all the info on the CIS: www.universitysport.ca
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Source:
Michel Bélanger Media and Publication Manager Canadian Interuniversit
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