Canadian captain Cross proud of team effort

Every debut has its own set of challenges and that was also the case for Canada women’s national team in the 2021 FIVB Volleyball Nations League. The team, however, leave Rimini after the conclusion of the Preliminary Round with the feeling of mission accomplished in their first appearance in the tournament, says captain Jennifer Cross.

One of the most experienced players in the young Canadian roster, the 29-year-old middle blocker didn’t hesitate before giving her teammates positive feedback after Canada’s 15th and final match in Italy, a 3-0 loss to Belgium on Sunday.

“We did a great job,” she reflected. “We had a really young squad and for a tournament like this, we didn’t really know what to expect. We showed what Canadian volleyball is all about. We’re super high-energy, we go for it all the time and we got some really good wins, which we’re super proud of. Now we’ll build towards the next Olympic quad. Of course, it didn’t end the way we wanted and there are lessons to be learned, but I’m really proud of what we did.”

Playing for the first time under the guidance of new head coach Shannon Winzer, Canada had to cope with injuries that plagued one of their key players, outside hitter Alexa Gray, who played part of the tournament as a libero and wasn’t available in most of the team’s 15 matches in Rimini.

Still, the Canadians managed to compete with some of the best teams in the world and defeated reigning Olympic champions China, reigning world champions Serbia and Germany. They also took sets from Brazil and Turkey, who are both headed into the semifinals.

For Cross, however, the most valuable asset her team will take from their first-ever VNL experience is the competitive mindset they showed from the first match until the very last.

“I’m really proud of our team for fighting, everybody could see we were giving our full energy,” Cross remarked. “We stuck together as a team and we fought for every single ball. I’m really proud of that.”