SHARONE Vernan-Evans and Nicholas Hoag stood their ground as Canada swept crowd-favorite Japan in straight sets, 25-20, 25-23, 25-22, on Monday to advance to the Round of 16 of the 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Despite the electrifying pro-Japanese crowd, the Canadians, ranked No. 8 in the world, leaned on their solid offensive and defensive play to remain unbeaten after two games in the Pool G preliminary phase.
They fended off Japanese rallies late in each set, capitalizing on sharp attacks and unpredictable set plays orchestrated by Luke Herr and Max Elgert to control the match and eliminate No. 7 Japan, which suffered its second straight defeat.
“I think today we played really well, and we were very disciplined—that’s what we wanted to carry forward. We played our brand of volleyball and showed the identity of what we want to be,” Vernan-Evans said.
“Now, we go against Turkiye, and we’re going to prepare for that. We’ll definitely take a rest today and then get ready for the match. We’re excited to try to take first place in the pool.”
Canada will face No. 14 Turkiye on Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the same venue for the Pool G top spot. Earlier, Turkiye defeated Libya, 25-18, 23-25, 25-14, 25-16, to also improve to 2-0.
Canada’s victory likewise secured Turkiye’s passage to the knockout Round of 16, which begins September 20 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Vernan-Evans fired 14 points, including 12 kills, while team captain Hoag, a 33-year-old three-time Olympian (2016–2024), added 13 points off 12 kills to silence the pro-Japanese crowd.
“We were patient. We played a very physical game, which was important. The Japanese team is probably the best defensive team in the world. Even today, they showed their great defense, so we had to keep playing. But we also mixed in some finesse, and that made the difference,” Hoag said.
“We handled their big servers, and I think that’s how we won.”
Ran Takahashi and Kento Miyaura led Japan with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Japan and Libya will close their preliminary campaign on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m.
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