Category: Volleyball

PARIS, France, August 11, 2024.- The United States won the Paris 2024 Olympic Games silver medal on Sunday at the South Paris Arena 1 making their fifth-straight Olympic podium appearance and becoming the country with the most Olympic medals in women’s indoor volleyball.

United States won the silver medal for an overall of seven Olympic medals after falling to Italy 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-17), the number one team in the FIVB World Ranking.

For the USA, getting silver meant making a fifth-straight podium appearance after taking silver in Beijing 2008 and London 2012, bronze in Rio 2016 and gold in Tokyo 2020. Their roster in Paris contained nine Tokyo Olympic champions, including outside hitter Jordan Larson, who was present in the team’s last four Olympic campaigns.

“It’s bittersweet but mostly sweet,” middle blocker Haleigh Washingon added. “It’s hardware and it’s second-best in the world. We went through so much adversity and for us to come out of this tournament with hardware, it’s really great. You take the victories where you can get them. There’s definitely the feeling that we could have done better in the final. But to be able to represent the United States again and to be able to compete at such a high level and still get a result, it gets me thrilled.”

Opposite Paola Egonu led the Italian offense with 22 points. Outside hitters Myriam Sylla and Caterina Bosetti also had solid scoring displays, tallying ten and nine points respectively.

The Americans made several substitutions during the match to try and find the best way to stop Italy and had in opposite Jordan Thompson, who came off the bench, their most productive player, with eight points. Outside hitter Avery Skinner added another seven.

“Knowing where we started at the beginning of this quad and even where we were two months, to be able to play for gold, we couldn’t have asked for anymore,” setter Jordyn Poulter reflected. “Italy are the best team in the world. They could have been in the last quad too, but I think they had some little things to figure out. I think they felt very confident and assured of what they were chasing coming into this final and I feel happy for them as a country and a program for getting their first medal and for it to be gold.”

The gold won in Paris was the first-ever Olympic medal for Italian women in volleyball and are now the seventh nation to hold Olympic gold medals among the women, joining the former USSR (four), China (three), Cuba (three), Brazil (two), Japan (two) and the United States (one).

The Italians were more effective than the Americans in every scoring skill, beating their opponents in kills (45 to 35), blocks (11 to zero) and aces (seven to three), which made their higher numbers of errors (17 to 12) don’t have much of an impact in the match.

“We’re all very emotional and happy about all that happened,” middle blocker Sarah

PARIS, France, August 9, 2024.- Ending the men’s volleyball tournament of the Paris 2024 Games with the bronze medals around their necks was the goal for both the United States and Italy, but the Americans were the ones to succeed in the task after they won the exciting battle for the third place held on Friday at the South Paris Arena 1.

With both teams looking reinvigorated after dealing with tough semifinal losses on Wednesday, the United States played better in the decisive moments of each set to triumph 3-0 (25-23, 30-28, 26-24) and claim the last spot available on the podium in Paris.

The victory placed the Americans back among the top three teams at the Olympics after they couldn’t make it past pool play in Tokyo three years ago. It was their third bronze and the sixth overall medal won by the country in men’s volleyball – they also have golds in Los Angeles 1984, Seoul 1988 and Beijing 2008 and bronzes from Barcelona 1992 and Rio 2016.

Seven members of the Paris squad got to celebrate their second Olympic medals as they were also with the team in Brazil eight years ago – setter Micah Christenson, opposite Matt Anderson, outside hitters Aaron Russell and Thomas Jaeschke, middle blockers David Smith and Max Holt and libero Erik Shoji.

The Paris Games also marked the end of a cycle for the Americans, who will see some core players step away from the national team after several years and multiple Olympic appearances – 39-year-old Smith, 37-year-olds Anderson and Holt, 36-year-old Garrett Muagututia and 34-year-old Shoji are the most likely candidates to end their international careers.

For Italy, the fourth-place finish keeps the reigning world champions out of the podium in two consecutive editions of the Games for the first time since Barcelona 1992 – the Italians won five of their six medals in the eight editions of the event held since then.

The bronze medal match victory also lifted the Americans to second place in the FIVB World Ranking, as they gained two spots with the 12.93 points won, which elevated their total to 365.87. Italy, on the other hand, went down from third to fifth, with 347.10.

Aaron Russell was the top American scorer in the match, producing 15 points for the winners. Fellow outside hitter TJ Defalco and Holt also had strong performances, with 12 and 11 points respectively.

With 17 points each, opposite Yuri Romanò and outside hitter Alessandro Michieletto were the top scorers in the Paris 2024 bronze medal match and led Italy on the court.

Paris 2024 – Match Schedule and Results

PARIS, France, August 7, 2024.- The U.S. Men’s National Team will play for the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics after falling to Poland, 3-2 (25-23, 25-27, 14-25, 25-23, 15-13) in the semifinals on Wednesday. The U.S. (4-1) will meet the loser of the Italy-France match on Friday at 7 a.m. PT. Poland was playing in the semifinals after losing in the quarterfinal round five consecutive times.

“One of the great challenges in this event is when you have hopes for gold, but then you got to regroup mentally and go compete,” Head Coach John Speraw said about being in the bronze medal match.

The U.S. led in kills (68-62) and were even in blocks (4-4). Poland held a slight advantage in aces (6-4). The U.S. scored 32 points off opponent error, while making 29 of its own.

Opposite Matt Anderson continued his incredible Olympics, leading all players with 23 kills and added an ace to finish with 24 points. He hit at a .459 efficiency percentage. Outside hitter Aaron Russell also reached the 20-point plateau with 18 kills and two blocks, hitting .517 for the match. Anderson added eight digs and eight successful receptions, while Russell led the team with 19 successful receptions and recorded six digs.

Libero Erik Shoji played another outstanding match and recorded another double-double with 13 successful receptions and a team-leading 10 digs.

“It’s physically and mentally exhausting,” Shoji said. “We have to come back and play in two days. We want to be fighting for a gold and that sucks, but bronze is important and we’re going to do everything we can to win that one.”

Setter Micah Christenson directed the offense and added seven digs.

Wilfredo Leon of Poland led all players with 26 points on 22 kills, two blocks and two huge aces.

Middle blocker Max Holt contributed 12 points on nine kills with a .750 hitting efficiency percentage without an error in 12 attacks. He also recorded a block, two aces, and four kills. Outside hitter Thomas Jaeschke came off the bench to score 10 points on nine kills and a block. Middle blocker Taylor Averill finished with eight points on five kills in seven attacks, two blocks and an ace.

Poland started fast by scoring five of the first seven points and led by as many as four points on four occasions early in the set. Back-to-back kills by Anderson brought the U.S. started a 5-1 U.S. run that tied the set at 13. Poland responded with a 3-0 run and forced a U.S. timeout.

A third Poland block extended the lead back to four, 19-15. The U.S. was unable to get closer than three points the rest of the set until Anderson’s sixth kill closed the gap to 24-22 on the second set point by Poland. After a hitting error, Poland recorded a kill on its fourth set point. Anderson hit at a .556 clip in the set with six kills and one error in eight attacks. Russell scored three points on a pair of kills and a block.

The U.S. took its first lead of the second set on a Russell block to make it 4-3. A Holt stuff block gave the U.S. its first two-point lead, 6-4. The teams traded the next 12 points before an Averill ace extended the advantage to three points, 13-10 and led to a Poland timeout.

After a hitting error upped the lead to four, 18-14, Leon recorded back-to-back kills to cut the deficit in half. Poland pulled within a point, 21-20, on an ace. The U.S. came out of a timeout and regained the two-point advantage as Russell scored his third point in a row for the U.S. Garrett Muagututia served what the U.S. thought was an ace, which it called for during the play, but upon review, it went off a Poland player’s foot. Poland scored on the replay and scored on an overpass to tie the set at 22.

The U.S. had a swing to take the second set at 24-23 but hit the ball into the net. After Poland’s third consecutive service error, The U.S. had another swing for the set but hit the ball out. Shoji perfectly passed a great serve by Leon to set up an Anderson kill for the lead. The U.S. converted its third set point when Anderson’s dig led to Russell’s fourth kill. Russell finished the set with five points, adding a block. Holt scored four points on three kills and a block, and Anderson scored on all three of his attacks.

Averill earned a kill against a triple block and after Poland hit a ball into the net, the U.S. went out in front 7-4 in the third set. After the lead diminished to a point, a Holt ace and hitting error made it 10-7 and led Poland to take its first timeout. The teams traded the next four points with Anderson recording two more kills. Jaeschke ended a long rally to give the U.S. a four-point lead, 13-9. On the play, the Polish libero Pawel Zatorski collided with setter Marcin Janusz and was on the floor for three minutes before returning to play with an injured left arm.

The U.S. scored the next three points after the delay to stretch the lead to seven, 16-9. Anderson sandwiched a kill in between blocks by Christenson and Averill. The lead grew to 10, 22-12 on a Russell kill and a dig by Jaeschke that went over the net and just caught the back line. Jaeschke gave the U.S. a 24-13 lead on a kill and a Russell tip over the block in the middle gave the U.S. a 2-1 set lead. Jaeschke, playing in his first set in the match, scored five points on four kills and a block. Russell recorded five kills on six attacks and Anderson scored three times on four attacks. The U.S. hit .600 in the set with 14 kills and only two errors in 20 total attacks.

Poland scored two of the first three points of the fourth set, but the U.S. ran off the next to four points to force an early timeout. With the score 3-2, Janusz was feeling the effects of his collision with his libero and came off the court to get treatment on his back. Anderson scored after Shoji made another incredible dig and then served an ace for a 5-2 lead.

A Holt kill gave the U.S. its biggest lead, 9-5. An Anderson kill aided by miscommunication on the Poland side made it 12-9, but Poland went on a 4-1 run to tie the set at 13. The U.S. took two-point leads at 15-13 and 16-14 on Anderson kills, but Poland went ahead with a 3-0 run, culminating with a block. Another block made it 18-17 Poland before the U.S. went on its own 3-0 run. An Anderson kill tied the set and after a hitting error, Holt recorded an ace for a 20-18 lead.

Poland fought back with a 6-2 run, earning its first set point on a Leon ace. Russell scored to defend on set point, but Tomasz Fornal’s fourth kill in five attacks sent the match to a fifth set. Anderson led all players with nine points on eight kills and an ace. Russell recorded four kills.

An Anderson kill started the fifth set, but it was the last U.S. lead of the match. Poland scored the next three points on a kill, ace and block to lead the U.S. to take an early time out. The U.S. appeared to tie the set 4-4, but Poland successfully challenged a block touch for a 5-3 lead. A perfect pass by Shoji led to a Russell kill to cut the lead to one, 6-5, but back-to-back points by Poland made it 8-5 with the side switch.

A Russell kill on an overpass cut the deficit to one, 8-7, but consecutive errors (service and net violation) restored Poland’s three-point advantage. After a Poland service error, Holt served an ace to cut the lead back to one point, 11-10, and lead to a Poland timeout. A kill out of the middle kept Poland ahead and a block made it 13-10.

Leon’s 21st kill of the match gave Poland four match points. Jaeschke and Anderson’s kills extended the match and led to a Poland timeout. A hitting error made it 14-13, but Poland sealed its trip to the gold medal match on another kill by Leon. Holt led the U.S. with three points on two kills and an ace.

PARIS, France, August 6, 2024.- Dominican Republic ended the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in eight place after falling 0-3 (22-25, 13-25, 17-25) to Brazil in quarterfinals on Tuesday at the South Paris Arena 1.

Brazil led in attack points (43-30), in blocking (10-4) and in aces (5-2). The Dominican Republic committed 17 errors and Brazil 16.

Outside hitter Yonkaira Peña was the most effective Dominican player in the match, with 12 points (all in kills), followed by fellow outside hitter Brayelin Martinez and her sister, middle blocker Jineiry Martinez, who registered nine each.

Brazil’s outside hitter and captain Gabriela ‘Gabi’ Guimarães  led the team with a match-high 20 points (16 kills, three blocks, one ace). Outside hitter Ana Cristina contributed 14 points (10 kills, three aces, one block), and opposite Rosamaria Montibeller added another 11 (nine kills, two blocks).

The match against Brazil marked the last time 37-year-old outside hitter Bethania De La Cruz played for Las Reinas del Caribe. She first joined the team in 2004 and leaves with three Olympic appearances and several medals, including five NORCECA Championships.

“I’m really proud of us,” De La Cruz said. “We fought a lot to qualify for the Olympics and then to make it to the quarterfinals. Today, we did a very good job in the first set, but then we started making way too many errors and a team like Brazil will always punish you for that. It’s the end of my adventure with the national team and I can only be grateful for all that I have experienced in all these years. We have a new generation coming up and I’m excited to see what they can do.”

Paris 2024 – Match Schedule and Results

PARIS, France, August 6, 2024.- The United States are one step closer to succeeding in their defense of the Olympic title won three years ago in Tokyo as they advanced to the semifinals of the Paris 2024 Games on Tuesday with a straight-set victory over Poland and will compete in the medal rounds.

After benefiting from strong starts in the first two sets, the defending champions had to make a comeback in the third to produce a 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-20) win at the South Paris Arena 1.

The Americans will now face Brazil, who earlier on Tuesday handled the Dominican Republic in three sets, in the semifinals, on Thursday, at 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT). The other matchup will have Türkiye, who eliminated China, and the winners of the last quarterfinal, reuniting Italy and Serbia, at 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT).

Paris 2024 – Match Schedule and Results

Americans and Brazilians have played each other in three of the last four Olympic gold medal matches, with the USA prevailing in the most recent one, in Tokyo, and the South Americans taking back-to-back titles in Beijing 2008 and London 2012.

“What a great match this is going to be,” opposite Annie Drews said. “They’re a great program and have been playing beautiful volleyball. I am proud of what we’re building, and I know we’re going to bring our best to that fight. Pool A was such a dogfight, and it showed us anything can happen here. It helped us prepare to stay ready for anything. I feel that as the tournament kept going on, we just got better and better at not being too rattled.”

The USA also made it to the semifinals at the Rio 2016 Games, where they won bronze, which makes of this their fourth straight and eighth overall Olympic semifinal appearance.

The victory also earned the Americans 13.63 points in the FIVB World Ranking, which were enough to make them climb two spots, going from sixth to fourth with their new total of 361.09. On their way up, the USA overtook Poland, who exchanged places with them, now having 349.75, and China, who are fifth with 350.30.

Drews led the way in the American victory, tallying 13 points (12 kills, one block). With 12 points apiece, outside hitters Avery Skinner and Kathryn Plummer had productive performances against the Polish as well.

“We came here with really high hopes and expectations and we’re exceeding those, so I’m just really happy with everything,” Skinner commented. “We fought really hard in every match. Today we were behind in the third set and it’s hard to come back from a deficit, especially against such a good team like Poland. We just wanted to side out quickly and go in runs with the serve and I think we did that and that’s how we came back at the end.”

Poland had outside hitter Martyna Łukasic, with 12 points (nine kills, three blocks), and middle blocker Agnieszka Korneluk, with 11 (five kills, four blocks, one ace), as their leading scorers in the quarterfinals.

“It was the first Olympics for our entire squad, so maybe we had way too many emotions on our side,” Korneluk said. “I think that because of that we couldn’t play at our best and they played very, very well and we couldn’t stop them. This were my first and might have been my last Olympics too, but I hope this team will continue to grow and get to play in Los Angeles in four years.”

The Americans had a wide margin over the Polish in kills (44 to 30) and doubled their production in aces, with six to three, besides having benefited from 15 points in errors and only given away ten. The Europeans had the edge in blocks, with 12 to ten.

PARIS, France, August 5, 2024.- The United States came out on top in one of the biggest rivalry matches in international men’s volleyball, beating Brazil in straight sets on Monday, and advanced to the semifinals of the Paris 2024 Games.

Set to play Poland for a spot in the tournament’s gold medal match on Wednesday, the Americans split two close sets with the Brazilians before taking control of the match and progressing with a 3-1 (26-24, 28-30, 25-19, 25-19) victory at the South Paris Arena 1.

With the result, the USA are back in the Olympic semifinals after failing to break pool in Tokyo three years ago. This will be the seventh semifinal run in 13 appearances for the Americans, who returned home with medals in five of those occasions.

“We’re drained, because playing Brazil always takes everything out of you,” outside hitter TJ Defalco said. “I’m trying to take it as just another match because these are the quarterfinals and we didn’t win a medal or anything yet. Having a lot of options on our bench was huge, especially against a team like Brazil, because they have that too. We’ve been having more faith in our blocking and defense and that is key in the way we play.”

Brazil, on the other hand, will be out of the medal rounds in the Games for the first time since Sydney 2000 – their run of five consecutive semifinal appearances generated four medals.

Opposite Matt Anderson was the top American scorer in the match, producing 20 points (17 kills, three blocks), four more than outside hitter Defalco, who had 15 kills and one block. Middle blocker Max Holt, with 13 points, and outside hitter Aaron Russell, with 11, also got to double digits in scoring.

“I’m happy about the way we fought after we kind of gave up that second set,” Hold commented. “We stayed very poised, came back and played like a new game. Everybody fought and we did what we needed to do. Our blocking was really great in the fourth set and all credit goes to our coaching staff as they made a ton of great calls against one of the best offensive teams in the world. Being able to slow them down like we did was huge. We’ve been on a growing path since the start of the summer, and I feel like we’re peaking at the right time.”

Opposite Alan Souza came off the bench during the second set to be Brazil’s top scorer in the match, adding 16 points (14 kills, two blocks) for the South Americans. Outside hitter Ricardo Lucarelli came next, with 15 (12 kills, two blocks, one ace).

After the match, setter and captain Bruno Rezende indicated this was his farewell with his country’s national team, leaving with three Olympic medals (gold in Rio 2016, silver in Beijing 2008 and London 2012) and many other titles.

“This is definitely not how I wanted it to end, but I go in peace knowing that I gave everything I had while I was here,” the setter said. “It’s sad to end it like this, but we fought until the end and did all we could to win today. With all that I got to win and experience in almost 20 years with the national team, I definitely can’t complain about anything.”

The USA had more kills (66 to 56), blocks (eight to seven) and aces (four to three) than the Brazilians, while the teams gave up the same number of errors (26).

Paris 2024 – Match Schedule and Results

The men’s semifinals will take place on Wednesday, with Poland and the United States meeting first, at 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT), and France and Italy dueling in the second match, scheduled for 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT).

PARIS, France, August 4, 2024.- The U.S. Women’s National Team clinched a berth in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics with a tight 3-0 (29-27, 29-27, 25-20) victory over France before a boisterous French crowd on Sunday. The U.S. finished pool play 2-1, while France did not take a set in its first Olympic appearance.

The quarterfinals will take place on Tuesday, August 6 with the seedings and pairings to be determined after pool play is completed Sunday.

Tennis great Billie Jean King attended the match and sent a video to the team beforehand.

“She was a supporter of ours in Rio and Tokyo,” U.S. Head Coach Karch Kiraly said. “She kind of watches us from afar. And this time it’s really cool this time because she is here.”

The U.S. led the match in kills (48-44) and service aces (5-3), but the key statistic was play in the middle where it held a 12-6 advantage in blocks, and its middle blockers totaled 17 kills with a .556 hitting efficiency percentage.

Middles Chiaka Ogbogu and Haleigh Washington combined for 24 points and seven blocks. Ogbogu, who tied an Olympic record with eight blocks in a five-set win over Serbia and leads the Paris Olympics in blocks, hit at a .615 efficiency percentage (eight kills on 13 attacks) and recorded three more blocks to give her 15 through the end of pool play. Her two aces gave her 13 points for the match. Washington hit .500 while totaling 11 points on nine kills and two blocks.

Kiraly started first-time Olympians Kathryn Plummer and Avery Skinner at outside hitter, but later brought in veterans Jordan Larson and Kelsey Robinson Cook.

“We felt like we needed a little more ball control,” Kiraly said. “We were handling some jump-spin serves better once those two were in.”

Opposite Annie Drews led all players with 15 kills and led the team with 15 digs. Plummer was the fourth U.S. player to reach double digits with 11 points on six kills, three blocks and two aces.

Libero Justine Wong-Orantes recorded another double-double with 11 successful receptions and 10 digs. Skinner finished with four kills and nine successful receptions, while Plummer and Cook each added eight successful receptions.

Opposite Jordan Thompson scored four points on three kills and a block. Cook scored three points on two kills and a block, and setter Jordyn Poulter totaled three points on a kill, block and an ace, adding seven digs. Larson contributed three successful receptions, two digs and a block.

The U.S. took an early four-point lead, but France tied the set at 10-10 and 12-12 with blocks. A Plummer ace capped a 5-1 U.S. run that gave the U.S. a four-point advantage again, 17-13 and led to a France timeout. The Olympic hosts kept the set close by scoring three of the next four points to pull back within two points.

Ogbogu scored three of the next four points in the set with a block and a pair of kills to give the U.S. its largest lead of the set, 22-17, but France scored the next six points to take a 23-22 lead. Two Drews kills gave the U.S. its first set point. France fought off the set point and had a swing for the lead but hit the ball out.

France had its first set point at 27-26, but a Skinner kill and a great dig by Washington that led to a Drews kill gave the U.S. a 28-27 lead. A strong Washington serve that France struggled to get over the net led to a Skinner kill that gave the U.S. the win on its fourth set point. Drews led the team with seven kills and Ogbogu added five points on three kills, a block and an ace.

Plummer scored five early points in the second set on four kills and an ace to lead the U.S. to an 8-5 lead. Ogbogu and Plummer recorded back-to-back blocks to make it 11-8. After a France point, Ogbogu and Washington each scored out of the middle to help raise the lead to six points, 15-9. France continued to keep it close by scoring the next three points and forcing a U.S. timeout.

A Skinner kill in transition put the U.S. ahead 17-12. A Thompson kill off the block raised the lead to six, 20-14 but France scored the next seven points to take the lead. A Drews kill ended the run and a Larson block put the U.S. back ahead, 22-21. Another Ogbogu block made it 23-22. A Drews crosscourt kill gave the U.S. set point at 24-23.

A France attack was called out but reversed on a block touch challenge. A kill gave France its first set point before a Drews kill evened the set. A service ace put France back ahead 26-25 before Washington scored on a slide. A hitting error gave France its third set point, but Drews recorded her 12th kill of the match to tie it back up. A hitting error and an Ogbogu block gave the U.S. a 2-0 set lead. Plummer finished with seven points, Drews and Washington each registered five kills, and Ogbogu scored five points on two kills, two blocks and an ace.

A Washington kill on an overpass gave the U.S. an early three-point lead, 7-4, in the third set. A France ace and a kill on an overpass evened the set at 13. The U.S. responded with a 5-1 run, culminating with a Washington kill.

With the score 20-17, Ogbogu put a ball down to raise the lead to four. A great dig by Wong-Orantes led to a Drews kill off a set from Larson for a 22-17 lead. Three France errors down the stretch sealed the match for the U.S. Washington scored six points in the set on four kills and two blocks with Drews, Robinson-Cook, and Ogbogu each contributing three points.

Every night, the lights dim at the Eiffel Tower Stadium as France’s most iconic landmark lights the night sky

As the sun sets on the Eiffel Tower Stadium, the beach volleyball party ramps up a notch. Darkness envelopes the stadium. The lights dim. 13,000 mobile phone lights illuminate the stadium stands.

After the sun sets and the clock nears 10pm, the crowd hushes. They know the significance of this moment. A unique experience at the best stadium on earth that will be no more after the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 conclude in September – although it will live on in the memories of the hundreds of thousands of fans who have passed through the Stadium’s gates, alongside billions watching around the world.

Strobe lights flood the sand with the colours of the French Flag. Blue. White. Red. Music cuts through the silence, counting down to the Eiffel Tower’s grand reveal. Phone cameras light the way, like burning embers ready to strike a fire. Suddenly, the Iron Lady ignites, ablaze with an inferno of shimmering gold against the night sky.

The crowd erupts and the lights brighten, revealing the sand court and world-class athletes, ready for another battle in their Olympic quest for gold. From here the party continues – the height of athleticism, tactical knowhow, teamwork and determination plays out on the sand. One team vying for an edge. Meanwhile, 13,000 fans cheer them on, feet stomping as the stadium vibrates and hums with energy.

Olympic Games Paris 2024 Beach Volleyball: schedule and results

PARIS, France, August 3, 2024.- Canada’s men’s team concluded the group phase in a battle with Serbia, that ended in a 2-3 (25-16, 25-22, 24-26, 19-25, 16-18) loss for Canada and finishing 10th in the overall standings of the men’s Olympic tournament.

Canada led in attack points 65-58, blocking 8-4, while Serbia led in aces 10-7 and made fewer errors 29-35.

Canada’s Stephen Maar, who put 28 points on the board for his team, reflected: “It’s the highest-level tournament in the world, and all the pools were difficult. If you’re not playing great, you’re not winning. Sadly, I don’t think we played one great match all together and that hurts,” said Maar.

“I’m grateful that so many Canadians are watching us play and I received so many well wishes from people here and at home, and I would like to give a great big shoutout to all the families of the guys who have supported us through this journey.”

Post-match, head coach Tuomas Sammelvuo commented that the team came out stronger in this final game than in the previous two matches: “We played today, we came with a different approach to the game… we were fighting. It would have been nice to finish with a win, but we didn’t. The taste of the tournament now is different as we were able to come out and play (in this final match).

“It’s been a hell of a ride for these past two seasons, and I would really like to thank the players, staff members, Volleyball Canada and all the up-and-coming players and coaches who have contributed to this program. To be in three Olympics in a row is proof of something… at the same time, this tournament teaches us so much about being focused. We will have to analyze everything much deeper at another time with cooler heads.”

PARIS, France, July 3, 2024.- The Caribbean beat the Netherlands in four sets and are guaranteed in the elimination rounds in Paris.

The Dominican Republic got their first victory in the women’s volleyball tournament of the Paris 2024 Olympics at the perfect moment as their four-set triumph against the Netherlands on Saturday at the South Paris Arena 1 qualified them for the quarterfinals of the event, which will be held on Tuesday.

Las Reinas del Caribe (The Queens of the Caribbean, in Spanish) needed all three points to advance and were under extreme pressure after the Dutch won the first set but provided a powerful response to secure a 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-17, 28-26) victory and get the result they needed.

With three points, five sets won and seven lost, the Dominicans are in third place in Pool C and are confirmed as one of the two best third-placed sides, then advancing to the quarterfinals. Japan and the United States are the two candidates to claim the last spot in play.

“We knew this was the most important match for us in pool play and that it wasn’t going to be easy,” setter Niverka Marte reflected. “We talked before the match that we’d need everyone to win it and that’s what happened. We played as a team and it was great to see everybody performing well. We tried to keep our minds strong after losing the first two matches, but we wanted this victory very much. I’m confident in my team and let’s see what comes up next.”

Outside hitter Yonkaira Peña was huge for the Dominicans, leading the team on the court with 28 points (26 kills, two aces). Also contributing to their victory were middle blocker Jineiry Martinez, with 13 points (nine kills, three blocks, one ace), and her sister, outside hitter Brayelin Martinez, who registered nine. Liberto Brenda Castillo was also a defensive machine for the team, getting 26 digs.

“The Netherlands are a good team and entering the court knowing we had to win to advance made the match even harder,” outside hitter Bethania De La Cruz, who came off the bench to produce seven points, commented. “We knew what we needed and fought until the end to get the win. They had some set points in the fourth set, but it only ends when it’s over, so we kept fighting and working for it. I was happy to help the team today playing in two different positions.”

Captain Nika Dalderoop (12 points), opposite Celeste Plak (12) middle blocker Indy Baijens (11) were the top Dutch players in their last match in Paris.

“Before the match we said this was our first final we play here today to even reach the quarterfinal,” opposite Elles Dambrink said. “Now it’s just really hard. We worked hard but we never got a grip on them. Their defense was amazing today and I congratulate them for getting into the quarterfinals but I hoped it would be us.”

The Dominicans relied on their strong offense to pull out the win as except for a nine-point difference for them in kills (59 to 50), the teams will almost event in the scoring stats, with the Caribbean leading in blocks (ten to nine) and opponent errors (26 to 25) and each side getting five aces.

Paris 2024 – Match Schedule and Results

PARIS, France, August 2, 2024.- The U.S. Men’s National Team earned a top three seed in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics and finished 3-0 to win Pool B with a 3-1 (25-16, 25-18, 18-25, 25-19) win over Japan on Friday. By winning the third set, Japan clinched its first Olympic quarterfinal appearance since Barcelona in 1992.

With Japan taking the eighth spot and final spot, the quarterfinal field has been decided with seedings and matchups to be determined after the Poland-Italy pool play match tomorrow. The quarterfinals will take place on Monday, August 5.

“Huge turnaround from three years ago,” head coach John Speraw said about going undefeated in pool play. “Years ago Doug Beal (former USA Volleyball CEO and head coach of the 1984 Olympic Men’s Volleyball Team that won gold) told me this tournament has three different phases, one is pool play. Then the quarterfinal match by itself is phase two and then the third phase is can you get into a medal match. We’re feeling good about where we’re at right now.”

The U.S. held the advantage in nearly every statistical category, 56-47 in kills, 10-6 in blocks, and served three of the four aces in the match. Each team scored 24 points off opponent errors.

Middle blocker Taylor Averill continued his stellar play in his first Olympics with six blocks, equaling Japan’s team total, scoring on seven of his eight swings and adding an ace for 14 points. In three pool play matches, Averill has scored 18 times on 21 attacks. Fellow middle blocker Max Holt scored on seven of his eight attacks and also had an ace to finish with eight points. With 14 kills and one error in 16 attacks, the U.S. middles hit .813 for the match.

Led by setter Micah Christenson and strong passing, the U.S. hit at a .511 efficiency percentage for the match with 56 kills and nine errors in 92 attacks. Christenson shared team-high honors with outside hitter T.J. DeFalco. In addition to his strong defense, DeFalco led the team with 11 successful receptions and scored 14 points on 13 kills and a block.

“They were passing the ball really well,” Christenson said about his teammates. “Especially in that fourth set, it makes my job a lot easier. Japan put some different service pressure on us in that third set and I think our passing line did a great job of adjusting.”

Playing in his fourth Olympic Games, opposite Matt Anderson led the team in scoring with 16 points on 15 kills and an ace. Anderson and libero Erik Shoji each finished with five digs. Outside Aaron Russell also reached double digits with 12 points on 10 kills and two blocks. Anderson contributed with nine successful receptions, Russell had eight, and Shoji added five.

A Russell kill gave the U.S. an early 7-3 lead in the opening set. Japan closed the gap to two points, but a service ace followed by an Averill ace made it 14-10. With the score 15-12, a Russell swing was called out but was overruled on a block touch challenge to extend the lead back to four points, 16-12.

From there, the U.S. went on a 7-2 run to put the set out of reach with Anderson scoring twice, and Averill and DeFalco recording consecutive blocks. The U.S. hit at an astounding .650 efficiency percentage with 14 kills and just one error in 20 total attacks in the set. DeFalco led all scorers with six points on five kills on his block and Averill added four points on two kills, a block and an ace. Anderson and Russell each contributed three kills.

Three Averill blocks and a Holt ace helped the U.S. run out to a 5-0 lead in the second set. Japan’s first block of the match cut the lead to two points, 10-8 but the U.S. scored four of the next five points to take its largest lead of the set, 14-9. DeFalco scored twice, once off a set from Holt, Russell scored on a back row attack and Averill ended the run with a kill.

Russell recorded back-to-back blocks to push the U.S. advantage to five points, 17-12. After Japan cut the lead back to three, 18-15, a strong dig by DeFalco led to an Anderson kill. Holt scored the team’s next two points with his fifth kill in as many swings making it 21-16. The U.S. took a 2-0 set lead by scoring four of the final six points of the set.

Holt and Averill combined for nine points with Holt registering kills on all four of his swings and adding an ace. Averill added a kill to his three blocks. Russell contributed four points on two kills and a pair of blocks.

With only its second block of the match, Japan took the first two-point lead of the third set, 10-8, and later stretched its lead to three on a kill off an overpass, 11-8. A 7-3 run from there put Japan in control of the set. Anderson led the U.S. with six points on five kills and an ace with DeFalco adding four kills.

Another Averill block gave the U.S. a 9-7 lead in the fourth set, the first time either team led by two points. A Russell back row attack extended the advantage to three, 13-10, but Japan used a 5-2 run to even the set at 15.

The U.S. used a 4-0 run, keyed by two kills from DeFalco, to take a 19-15 lead. Averill recorded a kill and his sixth block of the match to extend the lead to five points, 21-16. Two service errors ended Japan’s chance at a comeback. Averill scored six points with four kills to go with his two aces. Anderson (five) and Russell (four) combined for nine kills in the set.

PARIS, France, August 1, 2024.- The Dominican Republic fell to Türkiye 1-3 (25-21, 18-25, 22-25, 15-25) on Thursday and will play a decisive match against the Netherlands to move forward at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Dominican Republic dropped 0-2 in Pool C and the Netherlands with the same record but with one point will meet on Saturday at 9:00 local time to have a shot to advance to the quarterfinals and one or the two best third-place teams.

Against Türkiye, leading all scorers was opposite Melissa Vargas of Türkiye, who tallied an impressive 31 points (26 kills, three aces, two blocks). Middle blocker Eda Erdem, with 14, and outside hitters Ilkin Aydin. and Hande Baladin, with ten each, also provided some scoring punch to the Turkish offense.

The Dominicans, who couldn’t keep up the same level from the first set throughout the match, got 14 points (all in kills) from outside hitter Brayelin Martinez and another nine from her sister, middle blocker Jineiry Martinez.

“We got to face two very strong opponents (Italy and Türkiye) in our first matches here,” setter and captain Niverka Marte said. “We have the confidence that we can fight against teams of their caliber, but in both matches, we made too many errors and that’s just not possible at this level. Today we fought hard and had good moments, which makes us happy. Now we need to move forward and focus on the Netherlands. It’s going to be another difficult match as they’ve been playing very well, but we’ll prepare for it and try to limit our errors.”

Paris 2024 – Match Schedule and Results

PARIS, France, July 31, 2024.-  Led by an incredible blocking performance from Chiaka Ogbogu, the U.S. Women’s National Team earned a dramatic 3-2 (25-17, 25-20, 20-25, 14-25. 17-15) victory over reigning world champion Serbia in the Paris Olympics on Wednesday.

The U.S., which has earned three points in the standings by splitting two five-set matches and is likely to advance to the quarterfinals, can clinch that spot with a win over host France on Sunday, August 4.

Ogbogu recorded eight of the team’s 19 blocks in the match and totaled 14 points with six kills in her 11 attacks. The U.S. finished with five more blocks, while trailing in kills (63-56) and service aces (6-3). The U.S. benefited from 23 Serbian errors, most of which came in the first two sets.

“Good teams make good plays and it took Serbia a while to make some,” U.S. Head Coach Karch Kiraly said. “Then they really started pouring it on in the third and fourth sets. We can’t be surprised by that just like they can’t be surprised when we make a bunch of good plays.”

Serbia scored one more point in the match (102-101). The first two U.S. matches have been separated by one point. In the U.S. five-set loss to China on Monday, both teams scored 102 points.

Opposite Tijana Boškovic of Serbia scored 31 points on 27 kills, two blocks and two aces.

Libero Justine Wong-Orantes continued her sterling Olympic play with a double-double consisting of match-high 11 digs, including three crucial digs in the fifth set, and 10 successful receptions. Setter Jordyn Poulter ran the U.S. offense and also contributed eight digs. Outside hitter Kelsey Robinson-Cook added five digs, three as she steadied the defense in the fifth set.

Opposite Annie Drews led the team with 16 points on 15 kills and a block. Drews registered the team’s first two points in the deciding set and her kills gave the U.S. 15-14 and 16-15 leads. Outside hitter Avery Skinner totaled 13 points with 11 kills and two blocks.

Three more U.S. players reached double digits as opposite Jordan Thompson (10 kills and a huge block in the fifth set) and outside hitter Kathryn Plummer (nine kills and two blocks) each scored 11 points. Middle blocker Haleigh Washington also scored in double figures with 10 points on five kills, four blocks and an ace. Plummer totaled 16 successful receptions with Skinner adding 14.

“We knew this was going to be an intense match. Serbia is always a strong opponent. We knew they were going to push back, and they did,” Washington stated. “We just had to keep believing. It wasn’t a matter of changing this or adjusting that. It was just a matter of weathering the storm and repeating to ourselves, ‘Yes, we can. We have this.’”

When asked about rebounding after the tough five-set loss to China to open the Olympics, Washington shared, “One our mantras is being where our feet are. Yes, that loss was heartbreaking, but we took it as an opportunity to learn and get better. Yesterday was about recovery. Today was about Serbia and tonight will be about recovery. We just keep doing that one day at a time and being present.”

A Washington kill on an overpass gave the U.S. a 6-2 lead in the first set with Plummer scoring on a kill and a block in the opening points. Serbia stormed back with a 6-1 run to take the lead and still led 14-12 when Ogbogu took over the set. She registered three blocks to fuel a 10-0 run that gave the U.S. a 22-14 lead.

Ogbogu added a pair of kills to score five points in the set. Drews registered five kills, Plummer scored four points on three kills and her early block, and Washington added two kills and served an ace during the team’s dominant run.

Serbia made a series of hitting errors early in the second set, allowing the U.S. to take a 12-7 lead. At that point in the match, Serbia totaled 14 hitting errors, while the U.S. was hitting nearly .400 as a team. A 6-1 Serbia run evened the set at 13. With the score tied at 16, the U.S. ran off four points in a row with Skinner scoring from the back row and making a strong dig in middle back to set up a Drews kill during the 4-0 run.

Leading 21-18, the U.S. played a great defensive point that ended with a block by Washington. Micah Hancock, seeing her first action since entering the lineup in place of the injured Lauren Carlini, served an ace off the net, and Washington followed with her third block of the set. Thompson ended the set on a kill with the U.S. up 24-20. Washington led the U.S. team with five points, adding two kills to her blocks, Skinner recorded four kills, and Plummer added three.

The U.S. took an early 7-4 lead in the third set, but Serbia quickly evened the set at 9-9 and then scored six points in a row to take the lead for good. A great dig by Wong-Orantes led to a Thompson kill that pulled the U.S. within three points, 17-14, but a 6-1 run gave Serbia a decisive 23-15 lead. The U.S. scored the next five points, the final two on blocks by Ogbogu, but Serbia extended the match by scoring the final two points of the set. Skinner and Drews each delivered four kills in the set.

Serbia scored the first four points of the fourth set and by the time it led 10-4, the U.S. was forced to use both its timeouts. A Skinner kill followed by Ogbogu’s seventh block of the match brought the U.S. within two points, 11-9, but Serbia finished the set on a 13-5 run to continue the match. Thompson paced the U.S. with four kills.

A Thompson kill gave the U.S. an early 4-3 lead in the deciding set, but Serbia went on another of its runs, this one 5-1, to take an 8-4 lead into the side switch. Thompson scored again to close the gap to two points and Skinner and Thompson recorded back-to-blocks to even the score.

Serbia took what turned out to be its final lead of the match, 9-8, but once again Ogbogu came up with a block, her ninth of the match. Poulter followed with an ace and the U.S. took its first two-point lead of the set when Drews scored down the line on transition after a block touch slowed the Serbian attack.

A perfect pass from Robinson-Cook set up a Skinner kill to make it 12-9. Serbia took a timeout and the two-time world champions cut the lead back to one with two points, the second on a block. Ogbogu secured a kill that came off the net, prompting Serbia to challenge a net touch to no avail. Wong-Orantes came up with another great dig to set up a Plummer kill off the block and give the U.S. two match points.

Serbia delivered a kill on the next point and staved off a second match point with its 14th block. A perfect pass from Skinner led to a Drews kill. After Serbia stopped a third match point, Drews again put the U.S. within a point of victory. Wong-Orantes made a rally-saving dig on the final point, which ended on a Serbian hitting error. Drews finished the set with five kills, and Skinner and Thompson both scored three points on two kills and their set-changing blocks.

Paris 2024 – Match Schedule and Results

PARIS, France, July 30, 2024.- United States was taken to a fifth set before coming away with its second win 3-2 (25-21, 25-17, 17-25, 20-25, 15-11) over Germany and Canada fell to France 0-3 (20-25, 21-25, 17-25) for its second loss in the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.

With the five-set win, the U.S. received two points and leads Pool C with five points. Germany earned one point and now has three points. The U.S. concludes pool play on Friday, Aug. 2 against the world’s second-ranked team Japan.

Canada is winless and will face Serbia on Saturday for third place in Pool A.

The match between United States and Germany was nearly even statistically with the U.S. edging Germany in blocks (8-7) and trailing slightly in kills (59-56). The key statistical advantage was behind the serving line where the U.S. led 11-6 with three of those aces coming in the fifth set. Each team scored 27 points on opponent errors. The U.S. scored three more points, 102-99.

Middle blockers Max Holt and Taylor Averill combined for 25 points and five blocks. Holt scored 13 points on nine kills, two blocks and two aces. Averill totaled 12 points on five kills, a team-high three blocks and a match-best four aces. His five kills came on seven attacks, giving him 11 kills on 13 attacks in his first two Olympic matches.

Three other U.S. players joined the middle blockers in double figures, led by outside hitter T.J. DeFalco, who totaled 18 points on 14 kills, two blocks, and two aces. Russell led the team with 15 kills and added an ace. Opposite Matt Anderson finished with 14 points on 11 kills, a block and two aces.

“It just felt like we needed a little something extra,” Holt said on his back-to-back aces in the fifth. “They were kind of punching us with their serve and I just felt like we needed a little something. I just happened to be that guy today. We have many weapons, and anybody can do it at any moment.”

As for Canada, with the fans on the stands creating a fantastic ambience at the venue, the home team secured one of the top two spots in the final Pool A standings, together with Slovenia.

France led 40-29 in kills and 9-2 in serves. Canada had a slight 9-8 advantage in blocks. Both teams committed 19 unforced errors.

Ngapeth and opposite Jean Patry shared the top scorer honours of the match with 13 points each, while Brizard impressed with a total of six aces towards a total tally of seven points.

Two players – outside Stephen Maar and opposite Arthur Szwarc – led Canada with 12 points each.

“Volleyball-wise it wasn’t great for us. I don’t think we got anything going like we wanted and we definitely didn’t play how we wanted,” said the other Canadian outside Eric Loeppky. “France is a great team and if we want anything special, we are going to have to play a lot better. But the environment was great. It was really cool to play the home team. The fans were awesome. With all our friends and family here, that was really special, but the volleyball stuff just wasn’t great tonight. I hope we figure something out for this third game. All we want to do at this point is to just play well.”

Paris 2024 – Match Schedule and Results

PARIS, France, July 29, 2024.- The U.S. Women’s National Team made a valiant comeback before dropping its Paris Olympics opener to China, 3-2 (25-20, 25-19, 17-25, 20-25, 15-13) on Monday. China received two points in pool play for the victory, while the U.S. earned one point for going five.

The U.S. entered the Olympic Games ranked fifth in the world, while China came in ranked sixth. The U.S. will face No. 9 Serbia on Wednesday (July 31).

The U.S. ended the match with a 74-68 advantage in kills and 6-1 in aces, while recording just one less block (12-11). China benefitted from 21 U.S. errors, while committing only 11. Each team scored 102 points.

“The statistics highlight how thin the margin is,” U.S. Head Coach Karch Kiraly said. “We have to take care of some of these little plays.

“The makeable plays have to be made. We made a bunch. I want to give our team a huge amount of credit for fighting back. It’s not easy to come back from 0-2 against a really good China team.”

Kiraly singled out the play of libero Justine Wong-Orantes, who recorded a double-double with a match-high 17 digs and adding 12 successful receptions.

He also lauded setter Jordyn Poulter, who started all five sets after coming back this season from a severe knee injury. Lauren Carlini also helped with setting duties during double substitutions.

Opposite Annie Drews led all players with 26 kills and 29 points, adding three blocks, hitting at a .353 efficiency percentage.

“I think there’s a presence I can bring that inspires those around me if I’m not getting in my own way,” Drews said. “My focus this tournament is on how I can bring the emotional version of my best self out there and let the errors fly in the wind.”

The U.S. Women call their players off the bench “Game Changers” and looked to Avery Skinner and Kathryn Plummer to change the match against China. The pair helped the U.S. win the third and fourth sets to force the tiebreaker.

Skinner scored 17 points on 15 kills and two aces, hitting .400, and led all players with 17 successful receptions. Plummer added 10 points on nine kills and an ace.

“They came in guns a blazing because they had nothing to lose,” middle blocker Haleigh Washington said. “I love that attitude. I love that energy. I think it’s a testament to the depth we have on this team.”

Washington and fellow middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu each reached double digits in scoring. Ogbogu totaled 13 points with nine kills and shared match-high honors with four blocks. Washington finished with 11 points on five kills, three blocks and a match-best three aces.

Outside Kelsey Robinson Cook recorded 15 successful receptions and three kills.

Paris 2024 – Match Schedule and Results

PARIS, France, July 28, 2024.- Slovenia made history, securing a victory in their first-ever match at the Olympics. The Europeans were dominant from start to finish and topped Canada 3-1 (25-21, 25-20, 20-25, 25-21) to end the day at the South Paris Arena 1.

The triumph placed them in first place in pool A with three points, one more than France and two above Serbia – Canada haven’t earned any points after their first match.

Opposite Tonček Štern, who left the court in the first few minutes injured and then returned, was Slovenia’s main scorer in the encounter, with 24 points. Outside hitters Klemen Čebulj and Tine Urnaut registered 15 and 13 points, respectively.

Canada got 17 points from outside hitter Eric Loeppky and another 14 from opposite Arthur Szwarc.

Paris 2024 – Match Schedule and Results

The men will have Monday off and will be back on the court on Tuesday. For NORCECA teams USA will face Germany at 13:00 local time (11:00 GMT) in Pool C and France vs. Canada at 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT) in Pool A.

PARIS, France, July 28, 2024.- Italy showed the strong game that took them to win gold at the Volleyball Nations League 2024 and to the top of the FIVB World Rankings in their debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics and had no trouble beating the Dominican Republic 3-1 (25-19, 24-26 25-21, 25-18) on Sunday, in the first match of the women’s volleyball tournament.

Playing in front of a packed South Paris Arena 1 in the morning session, the Europeans got a head start in Pool C, collecting all three points in their first match in the tournament while also adding to their new World Rankings total of 398.88 points. Ready to look for their first points at the Paris 2024 Games in their next match, the Dominicans dropped just 0.7 World Ranking points and continue in 11th place.

After scoring just four points in the first set, Italian star opposite Paola Egonu found her rhythm during the match and left the court as the match’s top scorer, with 25 points (21 kills, three aces, one block). Team captain Anna Danesi and outside hitter Myriam Sylla were also productive, with 11 and ten points, respectively.

Dominican opposite Gaila Gonzalez had an exciting scoring battle with Egonu and led her team with 21 points (20 kills, one block). Outside hitter Yonkaira Peña and middle blocker Jineiry Martinez also got to double digits with 12-point performances at the South Paris Arena 1.

“I thought that we played a good match, but we struggled to keep our rhythm and made way too many errors,” Gonzalez reacted. “This is something we’ll need to change to get the wins we need in the upcoming matches, even though we did a great job to win the second set coming from behind. But Italy are a very strong team, we managed to take a set from them and could have even pushed the match to the tie-breaker, so that gives us confidence and we hope to build from it.”

The highest number of errors made by the Dominicans (38 to 18) proved too much as there was balance in the other scoring skills, with the Europeans leading in aces (five to three) and the Caribbean being more productive in blocks (13 to nine) and kills (50 to 47).

Displaying an efficient game at the net and making strong plays on defense, Italy took control of the first set, building an 8-5 lead with a big swing by Egonu. The Dominicans made a push, but the Italians were able to keep their rhythm and improved their advantage to 16-12 with a stop at the net. An ace by substitute Ekaterina Antropova sealed the 25-19 Italian victory in the set.

The second set had a similar start, with Italy in control, and an ace from captain Danesi got them a 5-2 early lead. A trickle ace by Brayelin Martinez leveled the score at 11 points, but Italy went on a three-point run to put things back where they were. In the final of the set, the Dominicans made a strong push, with Gonzalez scoring at an excellent rate, and counted on an offensive error by Egonu to take the set 26-24 and tie the match.

The Dominicans kept their good rhythm to start the third set and quickly got a two-point separation at 7-5. Italy found their best game and gained ground, taking control of the set at 15-13, with an ace by Egonu. Remaining ahead until the end, the Europeans triumphed 25-21 in the third set thanks to a powerful swing by their opposite.

Egonu continued on fire in the fourth set and served an ace to give Italy an early 6-2 lead. Another ace, this one from substitute Gaia Giovannini, increased their advantage to seven points at 10-3. The Dominicans kept fighting, but even subbing some starters off, Italy continued in control and confirmed their 25-18 win with a block by Sarah Fahr.

Paris 2024 – Match Schedule and Results

Following their debut, Dominicans will have four days until their next match in Paris as they  will get back on the court on Thursday when they play Türkiye at 9:00 local time (7:00 GMT).

PARIS, France, July 27, 2024.- With Russell and Defalco on an excellent night, the Americans swept Argentina in front of over 10,000 fans.

The first day of the Paris 2024 Olympics volleyball tournament had an appropriate ending on Saturday, with packed stands at the South Paris Arena 1 and an elite-level match played in an electric atmosphere, which had the United States topping Argentina 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-16) to secure three important points in Pool C.

The result places the Americans at the top of the standings in the pool ahead of Germany (two) and Japan (one) at the conclusion of the first round of matches and gives them 10.46 FIVB World Ranking points that kept the team in sixth place – Argentina didn’t collect any points in the pool, but were also able to preserve their ninth place in the World Rankings despite the defeat.

With over 10,000 fans cheering on the stands, the Americans fed from their energy to produce a dominant performance and counted on productive nights by outside hitters Aaron Russell, who led the team with 16 points (13 kills, three aces), and TJ Defalco, who added another 14 (nine kills, four aces, one block), to beat the Argentineans for a third time in the last four encounters.

“The atmosphere was amazing,” setter Micah Christenson said. “I can’t thank the fans enough for filling the stands tonight, we felt a lot of support on our side of the net, which was pretty spectacular. We never expect to get a 3-0 win in an Olympic match, but we’ll take it. We played great volleyball and showed a lot of our strengths as a team. These three points are really important, but the job is far from finished. We were entirely focused on Argentina and now we’ll look into Germany, who are also a very good team.”

Serving was at the core of the American strong performance as they outscored their opponents by eight points to zero in that skill, besides also dominating in blocks (six to three) and kills (38 to 33).

Middle blocker Agustin Loser, with eight points, and opposite Bruno Lima and outside hitter Facundo Conte, with seven each, were Argentina’s main scorers in the match.

“We had a tough match and the United States played very well,” Lima commented. “Their serving was really good, and their blocking and defense created a lot of problems to us. We managed to start all three sets well but couldn’t keep our rhythm until the end. We have two more matches and still have chances to qualify, so we’ll try our best against Japan and Germany. I’m sure nothing will be decided until the last day and we’ll be ready for the next battles.”

The score remained close during the first half of the opening set, with Conte leading the Argentinean offense and Defalco scoring at a high clip for the Americans. The first break happened when a pair of offensive errors by the South Americans gave their opponents a 16-12 lead. The USA managed to keep their edge until the end and won the set 25-20 after Russell scored with a powerful spike.

Argentina started the second set stronger and quickly created a 5-2 lead with a spike by Palonsky. Their advantage didn’t last long, though, as Russell leveled the score in nine points by tooling the opposing block and then scored four more, including three straight from the service line, to put the Americans ahead at 14-10. After remaining in control until the end, the Americans secured their 25-19 victory with another ace, this one from Defalco.

The third set started as the second ended – with Defalco firing an ace – and that set the tone for what was to come as after just a few minutes they already had a 5-2 lead. Their game continued to flow, and their advantage turned into a comfortable 15-7, which forced Argentina into a timeout. The break, however, didn’t alter the pace of the match and the Americans confirmed their opening-match victory with a 25-16 victory in the set, sealed with another Russell swing.

Paris 2024 – Match Schedule and Results

The two teams will continue their campaigns in Paris on different days as the Americans will now face Germany on Tuesday, at 13:00 local time (11:00 GMT), while the Argentineans will meet Japan one day later, also at 13:00 local time. Earlier on Saturday, the Germans topped the Japanese in five sets in the Paris 2024 men’s volleyball tournament opening match.