Watson named to Volleyball Canada NextGen team

As announced by Volleyball Canada this past Friday (June 13), University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's volleyball libero Delaney Watson has been named to the 2025 Canadian Women's NextGen roster.

Watson was one of 20 athletes announced for the developmental squad. The St. Jacobs, Ont., native returns to the team after being a part of the program in 2024. The selection also comes after Watson received a promotion to the Canadian senior women's national team this summer, competing with the senior team at Volleyball Nations League (VNL) events in Ottawa and upcoming in Istanbul. The NextGen program serves as a pathway to the Canadian national team, providing high-performance training and competing at major junior international events.

"Volleyball Canada's NextGen Program is an entry point for any athlete wanting to represent Canada on the world stage and is key to the future success of the women's program. This program enables us to identify athletes with the potential to make an impact for Canada over the next four years and work with them across the summer introducing them to senior national team systems and the expectations of being a national team athlete," explains Shannon Winzer, High Performance Director, Women's Indoor

Watson and the NextGen team will train at the Women's National Training Centre in Richmond, B.C. from June to mid-September. As well, the group will travel to compete at the 2025 U23 NORCECA Pan Am Cup from July 25-August 2 and NORCECA Final Six from September 13 to 22, both in Mexico.

Following the busy summer of international competition, Watson is set to begin her third year with the Varsity Blues this fall. The biology and neuroscience student has already garnered U SPORTS and OUA all-rookie honours, and this past year earned OUA all-star recognition for a second consecutive year. Following the completion of her sophomore season, the defensive specialist has already surpassed 600 career digs.