As announced by Volleyball Canada yesterday (Aug. 31), University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's volleyball standout Delaney Watson will serve as captain for Team Canada at the upcoming 2026 U23 Pan American Cup.

The defensive specialist has become a familiar face to the Canadian national team program and was one of 14 athletes named to the Pan Am Cup roster on Monday. Taking place in Nicaragua across the next week, Canada will open their tournament versus the USA on Tuesday (Sept. 1) night.

Watson has been part of the Volleyball Canada NextGen program for several years, wearing the maple leaf at numerous international events. This has included the 2023 U19 World Championships, 2024 U21 NORCECA Championship, 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL), and the 2025 U23 Pan American Cup where Canada earned silver.

Across three seasons with the Varsity Blues, Watson has shined as one of the top liberos in the country. She currently ranks third in U of T program history with 881 career regular season digs, while also holding the single-season program record of 350 during the 2023-24 campaign. Her exceptional play has earned her OUA all-star recognition across all three seasons and she claimed both OUA all-rookie and U SPORTS all-rookie during her debut season in the Blue & White.