Canada coach Glenn Hoag expressed optimism on Friday about his team's chances to qualify for the World League Finals ahead of this weekend's Group C matches against Japan.
"We're still in the race for first place," he noted. "But our fate is not in our hands. We need to focus on playing Japan and improving our volleyball."
Canada still has a shot at advancing to the finals in Mar del Plata, Argentina, later this month. The Canadians (6-2) are currently second in Group C with 18 points, just one point behind leader the Netherlands. They have won four straight matches, including sweeps of South Korea and Finland the past two weeks.