Canada crashed the party at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, silencing the roaring pro-Japanese crowd after sweeping favorite Japan, 25-20, 25-23, 25-22, to punch its ticket to the Round of 16 of the 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship on Monday.
With Sharone Vernon-Evans and captain Nicholas Hoag spearheading the attack, the World No.8 Canadians turned back every Japanese rally to remain spotless in Pool G and, at the same time, send the World No.7 squad packing after a winless two-game run.
The Canadians relied on their discipline and balance, mixing power and finesse behind the orchestration of setters Luke Herr and Max Elgert. They stifled Japan’s late-set surges with timely counterattacks, eliminating one of the tournament’s most popular teams before the knockout stage.
“I think today, we played really well, and we are very disciplined — that is what we wanted going forward. We played our brand of volleyball and stuck to our identity,” said Vernon-Evans, who paced Canada with 14 points built on 12 kills.
The 33-year-old Hoag, a three-time Olympian, backed him up with 13 points anchored on 12 kills.
“We were patient. We played a very physical game, which was very important. The Japanese team is probably the best defending team in the world, and we saw that today. But we stayed composed, held their big servers, and that’s how we won,” added Hoag.
Ran Takahashi and Kento Miyaura carried the fight for Japan, tallying 11 and 10 points, respectively. However, their efforts fell short of extending the team’s World Championship campaign.
Canada’s victory also assured Turkiye (2-0) a place in the Round of 16 after the No.14 squad turned back Libya earlier in four sets. The two unbeaten teams will now clash for Pool G supremacy on Wednesday at 2:00 PM at the Big Dome.
Meanwhile, Japan will close its stint against Libya later that day at 9:30 PM.
