Photo Credit: Volleyball Canada

By Shane Clausing

Volleyball

Beaverlodge’s Smith looking to help Canada qualify for first Olympics since 1996

Jan 8, 2020 | 1:04 PM

The Canadian women’s volleyball team will look to qualify for its first Olympics since 1996 this weekend as they compete in the NORCECA Women’s Qualification Tournament in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The team is led by Dani Smith from Beaverlodge. She has been on the team since 2013.

The Canadians are coming off a bronze medal at the Continental Cup in Puerto Rico last October which allowed them to qualify for the tournament this weekend.

Canada will be up against some stiff competition over the next couple of days.

To start the tournament, the Canadians will take on Puerto Rico Friday, a squad that is ranked 13^th in the world. On Saturday they’ll play the 10th ranked host side, Canada and Mexico meet on Sunday.

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In order to qualify for the Olympics, Canada must win the three-day tournament. There is no playoff round. Every team will play each other once and whoever has the best record by the end of Sunday will qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

Organizers of the tournament say they’re expecting sellout crowds for all three days of the competition.

Last time Canada made the Olympics for women’s volleyball, the team placed 5^th in their group and did not qualify for the playoffs.