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.
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