Ottawa, Canada, April 20, 2018 - With the men's and women's national team seasons fast approaching, Volleyball Canada has confirmed the staff overseeing its squads this year.
Quick links - Volleyball:
FIVB.com - Volleyball
FIVB.com
Latest Videos
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
"The pro athletes are starting to return from their clubs and most of them will be resuming training as of May 1, which puts us into the final stage of preparation for the season," said Julien Boucher, Volleyball Canada High Performance Director (Indoor).
On the women's side, returning head coach Marcello Abbondanza is wrapping up the season with his Polish club team (Chemik Police), and is looking forward to getting back to Canada for the selection camp, scheduled from May 6 to 11 in Richmond, British Columbia.
Abbondanza's main target for the season is the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship in Japan at the end of September. Also returning to the team staff will be assistant coach Vincenzo Mallia, therapist Giorgio Caiterzi as well as assistant coach Richard Schick, who acted as the head coach for the National Excellence Program (NEP) through the fall and winter, and will now be a full-time assistant coach with the programme. Haiqi Liu, from Kitchener, Ontario, as an assistant coach and Tommaso Barbato from Urbino, Italy, as the new team statistician, complete the staff for 2018.
On the men's side, Stéphane Antiga will be back for a second summer at the helm of Team Canada, and Dan Lewis will reprise his role as assistant coach. Lionel Bonnaure (now in a full-time position with Volleyball Canada) returns as the team statistician, and Melissa Healy will be back as the team head therapist based at the men’s training centre in Gatineau, Quebec.
Team Canada men's side will once again have a very busy schedule with the new FIVB Volleyball Nations League in May and June as well as the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship in September.
Women’s team schedule:
May 6-11 – Selection camp – Richmond
May 15-20 – 2018 NORCECA Women Challenge Cup - Continental Qualification Tournament
June 18-24 – FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup (if qualified – location TBD)
July 6-15 – Pan Am Cup – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
August 17-September 3 – Europe Tour
September 23-26 – Pre FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship training camp (Sapporo, Japan – TBC)
September 27-October 20 – FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship Japan 2018 (Canada's 1st round pool is in Sapporo)
Men’s team schedule:
May 17-22 – Pre FIVB Volleyball Nations League Tour (Poland)
May 23-June 24 - FIVB Volleyball Nations League (in various countries)
June 8-10 – FIVB Volleyball Nations League – Ottawa, Ontario
July 2-8 – FIVB Volleyball Nations League Finals (if qualified – Lille, FRA)
August 21-26 – Hubert Wagner Invitational – Krakow, POL
August 27-31 – Pre FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship Tour (Poland – TBC)
September 1-8 – Pre FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship Tournament (Slovenia)
September 3-30 – FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship Italy-Bulgaria 2018 (Canada's 1st round pool will be in Ruse, BUL)