Lima, Peru, June 30, 2019 – Kyla Richey said her team Canada were trying to get back to the top and that qualifying for the 2020 FIVB Volleyball Nations League was the first step after their five-set 3-2 (25-17, 25-16, 21-25, 23-25, 15-8) FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup win against the Czech Republic.
Kyla Richey, captain Canada: "These are tears of joy for winning and of devastation for Autumn’s injury, which took us some time to re-group from, everyone was shaky after seeing her go down with a knee injury. We are trying to get Volleyball Canada back at the top, it has taken us so much work and time, this is huge and reaching the VNL is the first step to get there."
Tom Black, head coach Canada: "I do not know if I have ever been prouder of my team. I would describe this victory as 'a lot of heart' from my team, it was traumatic the way we lost Autumn (knee injury), we were all concerned and it took us a while to shake out of it, in the third set we were in an emotional disarray. The Czech Republic is an excellent team that had us against the ropes; there was a lot to resolve. Coming off the bench Kyla did a pretty good job keeping us steady."
Ioannis Athanasopoulos, head coach Czech Republic: "I am very proud about the way my team fought. Before the European League we lost Eva Hodavona, here we lost Andrea Kossanyiova and today Eva Svobodova played her first ever international match, doing a great job. We have grown a lot over the past two months, playing the entire tournament with only one setter and today the girls came back from two sets down (0-2). I hope to be here next year to qualify for the VNL. I am sad for Canada’s player; I wish her a fast recovery."