Colorado State University Athletics
Cranston, Volleyball Canada set to host Pan Am Games
7/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Pan Am Games Info | Schedule | Live Streaming
TORONTO, Ontario - Former Colorado State volleyball player Dana Cranston is preparing for the big stage, as the Canadian Women's National Team gets set to begin the Pan American Games Thursday on its home soil.
The Pan Am Games are the world's third-largest international multi-sport event, only surpassed in size and scope by the Olympic Summer Games and the Asian Games. Since 1951, the Pan Am Games have been held every four years in the year preceding the Olympic Summer Games. More than 6,000 athletes from 41 countries will compete in 48 different sports in this year's event, which kicked off July 10 and lasts through the closing ceremonies on July 26.
The Pan Am games are held for nations of the Americas - Central, North, South and the Caribbean - and are seen as the Olympic Games for this region of the world. Other regions hold similar events, including the Asian and Commonwealth Games. In volleyball, Canada will play host to Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Peru, Puerto Rico and the United States.
"This experience is so amazing," Cranston said. "To be at a multi-sport games is always fun, but to represent your country on home turf makes it that much more special. Our team goal from the start of the summer was to be playing our best volleyball now, and I think we are. I'm excited to get out on the court, in front of our home crowd, and compete for our country."
Cranston and her Canadian teammates begin action Thursday against the Dominican Republic, and will continue pool play through Monday. Quarterfinals will take place Wednesday, with the semifinals on Thursday, July 23, and the finals on Saturday, July 25. Most matches will be available to cable subscribers through ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN app.
Cranston, an AVCA All-American and the 2012 Mountain West Player of the Year, has kept busy since her graduation in May 2013. In addition to her time with her homeland's national team, she has played on professional club teams in France (2013-14) and Germany (2015). After spending most of the year overseas, Cranston and her Team Canada teammates return to their practice facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba, each April to train together and compete in international competitions during the summer months. Over the past three summers, she has competed in the FISU/World University Games in Russia, World Championships in Italy, Grand Prix throughout the Caribbean, South America and Europe, in addition to other events.
"It's crazy to think that just a few years ago I was playing in Moby Arena week after week, and now I am playing on one of the biggest stages in the world," Cranston said. "I'm so grateful for my time at CSU and how it helped me grow and prepared me for a time such as this."
Team Canada Pan Am Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (MT) |
| Thursday, July 16 | Dominican Republic | 5 p.m. |
| Saturday, July 18 | Cuba | 5 p.m. |
| Monday, July 20 | Argentina | 11:30 a.m. |
| Wednesday, July 22 | TBD (Quarterfinals) | TBD |
| Thursday, July 23 | TBD (Semifinals) | TBD |
| Saturday, July 25 | TBD (Bronze/Gold) | 1 p.m./6:30 p.m. |
