Nimir Abdel-Aziz of the Netherlands sets the ball to Thomas Koelewijn during Friday’s win over Canada
Wytze Kooistra was the top scorer for the Netherlands with 21 points while Thijs Ter Horst added 19 and Bas van Bemmelen 10. Gavin Schmitt led Canada with 17 and Gord Perrin added 10.
The Netherlands took command early by winning the first two sets, including a six-point run to finish out the second.
The Canadians however rebounded with a strong third set much to the relief of the 3,600 spectators at the Colisee. They pulled away late in the set earning seven of eight points to grab a 23-17 lead.
The fourth set went down to the wire with the two teams exchanging leads before the Dutch closed it out with two unanswered points.
Canada’s next four World League matches are in Mississauga, Ontario, at the Hershey Center: June 7-8 against Portugal and June 14-15 against South Korea. The Dutch meanwhile return home to host Japan on June 8-9 in Apeldoorn.
To read more news from this competition click on World League 2013 M.
