Curitiba, Brazil, July 8, 2017 - With 13 points of John Gordon Perrin, Canada wrapped up a marvelous FIVB Volleyball World League campaign by seizing the bronze medal after coming from behind for a 3-1 (18-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-21) win over USA on Saturday evening opener in Curitiba.
Captain Perrin wasn’t alone for Canada as several players had similar numbers - Sharone Vernon-Evans and Graham Vigrass completed 12 points each and reserve player Ryley Barnes had a key entrance with 10 tallies. USA had the two most prolific scorers of the match as Taylor Sander and David Smith gathered 14 points apiece, followed by the 12 of both Thomas Jaeschke and Benjamin Patch.
Canada were already on their best World League so far with the sole access to semifinals, but they kept their fire going and wrote a new page on their history, greatly improving their 13th place of last year. And despite the bitter taste they might feel now, USA also did better than 2016 as they moved up from a fifth spot to a fourth.
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Middle-blocker Smith was the one in charge of setting the tone for USA, with 6 points on the first set. However, Canada bounced back after the slow start, bagged the next one with a tremendous defensive work and extended their run to a 2-1 lead, with Perrin, Vernon-Evans and Barnes at a fast pace. Closer to a World League medal than ever, Canada had no stage-fright and unlocked an extremely tight final chapter feeding on USA’s mistakes.