Saanich’s Shanice Marcelle and Fred Winters are on the respective hunt for an Olympic spot with the national women’s and mens volleyball teams this week.
The women’s squad is heading to the U.S. to compete in the 2016 NORCECA Olympic Qualification Tournament.
Marcelle, a Spectrum Community school grad, is an outside hitter who won five straight CIS Championships with the UBC Thunderbirds from 2009 to 2013. She was twice named the top CIS volleyball player in Canada in 2012 and 2013. The NORCECA Olympic qualification tournament is Jan. 7 to 9 in Lincoln, Neb. Seventeenth-ranked Canada faced the world No. 1-ranked U.S. on Thursday, Dominican Republic (7th) on Friday and Puerto Rico (16th) on Saturday.
Winters, a Claremont secondary grad, is in Edmonton this week for the men’s NORCECA Continental Olympic Qualifier. Canada will face Mexico on Friday, Puerto Rico (live on CBC TV) on Saturday, and Cuba on Sunday.
The winner of each tournament will earn the NORCECA berth into the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.