Canada commanded a 3-0 (25-6, 25-7, 25-5) victory over hosts France to clinch fifth place in the 2024 WPV Women’s Super 6 at Parc des Sports de Vandoeuvre in Nancy, France on Sunday.
From the onset, Canada set the tone with aggressive serving, quickly establishing a lead despite early errors that allowed France a brief 5-2 hold. Canada’s precision in play execution saw them surge to a 12-2 lead. France managed to add only two more points in the set before Canada, driven by Sarah Melenka’s blocking, extended their lead to 18-4. A brief lapse from Melenka’s service error gave France a point, but Canada closed the set decisively at 25-6 with an ace.
In the second set, Melenka’s serving spree and a powerful spike from Danielle Ellis pressured the French defence, forcing an early timeout at 5-0. France’s first point came post-timeout at 8-1, following a forced error from Canada. Despite occasional successes for France, Canada maintained a firm grip, extending their lead to 13-5. Comprehensive scoring across attacks, blocks, and serves saw Canada restrict France to just two more points before concluding the set with another ace at 25-7.
The third set mirrored the earlier ones with Canada quickly establishing a 5-1 lead, courtesy of an Ellis attack. Julie Kozun’s net play further disrupted France’s rhythm, extending Canada’s advantage to 13-2. Felicia Voss-Shafiq’s powerful left-side swing added to Canada’s offensive arsenal. Despite a late effort from France, Ellis delivered the match-winning swing, sealing the final set at 25-5.