Canada opens 2nd leg of men's Volleyball Nations League with loss to Japan

Canada returned to the court in men's Volleyball Nations League on Tuesday, but left with a familiar feeling.

The Canadians dropped their fourth straight match in a four-set loss to Japan (25-22, 25-17, 24-26, 25-14) to begin the second leg of the season in Orléans, France.

Canada previously fell to Germany, Argentina and the U.S. after beating Cuba to begin their season in Ottawa. It now sits with a 1-4 record.

The tilt with Japan was Canada's first in France. It'll next face Slovenia on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. ET, with live coverage available across CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.

WATCH | Canada falls to Japan:

Stephen Maar and Arthur Szwarc led Canada with 17 points apiece against Japan, but despite a third-set pushback the seventh-ranked Asian side proved tough to overcome.

Japanese captain Yuki Ishikawa led all players with 19 attack points to go with three aces and a block point. Japan now sits atop the standings with a perfect 5-0 VNL record.

Canada will also face Bulgaria and France during the second leg.