RIMINI, Italy — The Canadian men's volleyball team fell to 2-6 in Nations League play after a 3-1 loss to Russia on Thursday.
Set scores were 25-18, 25-18, 23-25, 25-23.
Sharone Vernon-Evans led Canada with 13 points, while Nicholas Hoag and Eric Loeppky had 10 apiece.
Canada is now 13th in the 16-team standings.
The Canadians return to action Friday against France.
The annual international men's and women's competition featuring the world's top 16 teams in each gender was cancelled in 2020 because of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The Canadian men's and women's squads will each play a 15-match preliminary round until June 23.
The top four countries advance to the semifinals and finals.
The Canadian men, ranked No. 10 in the world, have qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics starting July 23. Nations League is important preparation for them after a year of no matches as a team.
Canada's women's team (2-7) is 14th in its competition and next plays Saturday against Serbia.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2021.
The Canadian Press
