Friday, June 24, 2022
by Simon Fraser Athletic Communications

BURNABY, B.C. —Simon Fraser volleyball sophomore Hanna Kolof will be representing Team Canada at the Maccabiah Games that will take place in Israel, July 12-26.
 
"I'm so excited, I have actually never been to Israel," said Kolof. "This is definitely a bucket list destination for me."
 
Often referred to as the "Jewish Olympics", the Maccabiah Games take place every four years and have become the largest regularly held international event in Israel. The Maccabiah Games provide elite Jewish athletes with the framework to meet and compete against other Jewish athletes and connect to the Land of Israel – often for the first time.
 
"I am very excited to have the opportunity to travel to Israel and play some international volleyball against countries and people I would normally not compete against," said Kolof. "My family is traveling to watch the games, so we will get to have a family vacation at the same time."
 
Primarily an outside hitter for SFU, Kolof started 19 of 22 matches as a freshman. She registered 147 kills, with a .161 hitting percentage, delivering 2.31 points per set.
 
Kolof attended a tryout camp last year and was selected to Canada's Maccabiah team. West coast athletes have been training in Vancouver and will fly to Toronto to train with the entire team before departing for the games.
 
Kolof most likely will be playing both outside hitter and libero for Team Canada. "I have been training as a libero and outside hitter with SFU this past spring, so it won't be a huge transition to libero. My favorite part of the game is serve, receive and defense, so both positions give me that opportunity," said Kolof.
 
In July 2017 the Maccabiah Games hosted 10,000 athletes representing 80 countries, making it among the largest participation sporting events in the world, behind only the Summer Olympics and the Asian Games. Maccabi Canada was responsible for sending a delegation of 600 Canadians athletes, who won 72 medals, including 15 gold medals.
 
Team Canada will face tough competition in volleyball, starting pool play in a group with Team USA, Israel and Cuba.