Team Canada avoided elimination on Saturday in women’s 3×3 basketball and women’s beach volleyball at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The news was not so good for the Canadian men’s beach volleyball team (Dan Dearing of Toronto, Ontario withdrew from a lucky loser match against Chile very early in the first set because of a back injury), the Canadian women’s soccer team (lost on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals to Germany), and the Canadian men’s volleyball team (blew a 2-0 set lead against Serbia only to be eliminated from reaching the quarterfinals by losing three sets to two).
In women’s 3×3 basketball, Canada reached the quarterfinals by beating Azerbaijan 21-19 to finish the round robin with a record of four wins and three losses, and in fourth place out of eight. In Canada’s win over Azerbaijan, Michelle Plouffe of Edmonton, Alberta led Canada with eight points. Katherine Plouffe of Edmonton led Canada with eight rebounds, and Paige Crozon of Humboldt, Saskatchewan led Canada with two key assists.
Then in the quarterfinals. Canada beat Australia 21-10. Kacie Bosch of Lethbridge, Alberta led Canada with nine points. Michelle Plouffe led Canada with six rebounds and four key assists. Canada will next play Germany in the semifinals (Monday at 10:30 am MT). Spain and the United States are in the other semifinal.
Meanwhile, in women’s beach volleyball, Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes of Toronto, Ontario finished in third place in Pool D after losing 21-14, 22-20 to Latvia. That result meant Canada would go to the lucky loser round, where they faced the Czech Republic and beat them by a score of 21-15, 21-15. In Canada’s win against the Czech Republic, Humana-Paredes had 16 attack points and four aces, while Wilkerson had eight attack points, one ace and one block point. Canada now reaches the round of 16, and will face the United States on Monday at 10 am MT.
