Canada's Women's Heading to Peru to Begin its WGP Campaign

OTTAWA, Canada, July 22, 2014 - The 2014 edition of FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix, the premier annual women's international volleyball tournament, kicks off this week, with Canada sending a team after a more than 10-year absence.

"The team is excited to be a part of Grand Prix this year and gain the valuable experience that playing in this tournament will provide," said Canada’s head coach Arnd Ludwig. "We are looking forward to representing Canada well on the international stage."

Canada last competed in the Grand Prix in 2003, finishing in 11th place.

Canada’s first game is in Lima, Peru, on July 25, when the team plays the host country; followed by a game against Poland the next day, and Belgium on the 27th.  The full schedule is at www.fivb.org Canada is in Pool J.

"We need to get experience in games on a high level. Participating in the Grand Prix gives us exactly that opportunity: playing against top teams for at least three weekends in a row," explained Ludwig. "It is a very good preparation for the World Championship in Italy this fall, and it is even more important for the development of the program in the next four to 10 years."

Canada already qualified for the World Championships earlier this year as a result of winning the NORCECA qualifier in Mississauga.

For Grand Prix, the 28 participating countries have been split across 19 pools with 12 - defending champions and world No. 1 Brazil, USA, Japan, China, Russia, Italy, Serbia, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Korea, Turkey and Thailand – playing in Pools A to I while eight - Poland, Peru, Puerto Rico, the Netherlands, Argentina, Canada, Cuba and Belgium - are in Pools J to O.

Pools P to S also include eight teams: Kenya, Algeria, Kazakhstan, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Bulgaria and Australia.