Music: {allcanada} Canadian volleyball team falls to the Netherlands

Saturday, June 1, 2013

{allcanada} Canadian volleyball team falls to the Netherlands

QUEBEC — Canada's men's volleyball team fell in four sets to the Netherlands in FIVB World League play Saturday.

Wytze Kooistra led the Dutch with 21 points in a 25-22, 25-17, 20-25, 25-23 victory, while Thijs Ter Horst added 19 and Bas van Bemmelen had 10.

Gavin Schmitt of Saskatoon led Canada with 17 points ahead. Gord Perrin of Creston, B.C., chipped in with 10 one day after Canada beat the Netherlands in four sets during the season opening match.

"Holland outplayed us today in all aspects," said Canada's head coach Glenn Hoag. "We couldn't produce any offence. There are always lessons to be learned. We are going to go back and prepare for the next match (next week)."

The Netherlands, ranked 36th in the world, took command early by winning the first two sets including a six-point run to finish out the second.

"The Netherlands came out and played really well and made less mistakes than yesterday," said Schmitt. "We weren't up to our standards, we didn't play bad but we can be better. Hats off to them they played really well."

The fourth set went down to the wire with the two teams exchanging leads before the Dutch closed it out with two unanswered points.

"Yesterday, I said I was pleased with the level of play, but we made too many mistakes," said the Netherlands head coach Edwin Benne. "It was different today, this is why we sit here as the winner. Also, there was less pressure from the Canadian side."

Canada's next four World League matches are in Mississauga, Ont., June 7-8 against Portugal and June 14-15 against South Korea before heading overseas for matches in Finland and Japan.

"No one is going to dominate this pool," said Schmitt. "It's going to be a dog fight every time."