MONCTON, Canada, September 15, 2026. –Canada will play for gold at home after winning its semifinal in straight setsTuesday at the NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship.
The host Canadians beat Cuba 3-0 (26-24, 25-22, 25-17) at the Avenir Centre in Moncton to advance to the gold-medal game and earn one of three berths in the 2027 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Cup in Poland.
Cuba will play for bronze and the third spot in those championships. Both teams have earned a place in the weekend’s final NORCECA qualification stage for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The undefeated Canadians held the lead in attacks (39-31), blocks (8-6) and aces (9-3). The trio of Sharone Vernon-Evans (14), Eric Loeppky (14) and Stephen Maar (13) did the bulk of the scoring, including a match-high three blocks each from Vernon-Evans and Maar. Maar and Loeppky also tied for top digger with five each. Fynn McCarthy contributed a total of 10 points, including six aces, and Luke Herr had 25 running sets.
Alejandro Gonzalez was Cuba’s top scorer with 12 points.
The first set was about as close as it gets. Although Canada held a slim edge most of the way, neither team led by more than four and Canada needed an extra point for the two-point margin of victory. The second set was close again, with the difference just one or two points for the majority. Cuba led 21-19 late, but Canada scored three straight points, including back-to-back blocks by Maar. Cuba called a timeout and tied it 22-22 on Osniel Mergarejo’s attack, but Canada charged back with three straight points, punctuated by Loeppky’s deciding kill. The hosts then opened the floodgates in the third set, taking it by a comfortable 25-17 score.
Canada’s Eric Loeppky: “It was a bit of a weird game, they didn’t play some of their top guys. I think we really had to force ourselves mentally to play well and finish in three sets, so I’m super proud of us for that.”
On advancing: “It’s the gold medal match for this first tournament, but still all we’re thinking about is finishing strong Saturday.”
Dan Lewis, Canada’s head coach: “I’m really happy for the guys. They win 3-0 against a good team, even though Cuba is managing their lineup and resting some of their older players. … This is a really high-quality team that we defeated tonight and it was a focused effort. It was a good second goal of the tournament. We qualify for world championships, good, take a moment for happiness and pride, and then it’s quick reset to play the finals. There will be an opportunity for many more of our athletes to compete now, that’s the beauty of winning that. Now it’s a short turnaround and the focus is on the Olympic qualifying.”
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