We had a few days off while we relocated the VolleyballMag editorial office from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Swampscott, Massachusetts, but after that we have plenty to cover on the U.S. women’s and men’s Olympic teams.
So…greetings from New England, where the region is buzzing with the possibility of the Boston Celtics becoming NBA champions again.
Since we last reported on Friday, the U.S. women’s team lost to Italy but has a rematch against them later this week, and they beat Japan to finish in seventh place and qualify for the Volleyball Nations League Finals in Bangkok, Thailand.
The 12 teams that will participate in the Women’s Olympic Games have now been selected.
The U.S. men’s team returns
First up, the U.S. men are in Manila, Philippines for the third round of the men’s tournament. They’re in 12th place with a 3-5 record, tied with Serbia and Germany and one game behind Canada, Cuba and Argentina. Only the top eight teams will advance to the finals.
The U.S. men’s team opens its season on Wednesday against Iran and has not played since losing to Canada on June 8.
Also on Tuesday in Manila, the Netherlands will play Brazil and Canada will play Japan. In Ljubljana, Slovenia and Bulgaria will host Turkey, while Slovenia will host Argentina.
In the upcoming matches, the U.S. men’s team will face Brazil, Germany and Japan, giving them a clear chance to make the top eight.
American women advance
The U.S. women’s team lost to Italy 25-17, 19-25, 25-15, 25-21 on Saturday before beating Japan 25-15, 25-18, 26-24 to book a spot in the final round.
Brazil was the only team to remain undefeated through the three rounds, finishing with a 12-0 record. Italy and Poland finished with 10-2 records, while China finished in fourth place with 9-3.
Japan finished in fifth place with an 8-4 record, just ahead of Turkey. The United States was one of three teams with a 7-5 record, followed by the Netherlands and Canada.
The Dominican Republic, Serbia, Germany and Thailand all had three wins and nine losses, while France, South Korea and Bulgaria all had two wins and ten losses.
Against Italy, the U.S.’ first opponent in the VNL finals in Bangkok on Friday, the U.S. couldn’t contain Paola Egonu, who had 21 kills, a block and an ace.
Annie Drewes, one of 10 Americans on the court, led the USA with 13 kills, Jordan Thompson had 11 kills and a block, and Kelsey Cook had six kills and an ace. Haley Washington had three kills, three blocks and an ace. Chiaka Ogbogu had seven kills, Avery Skinner had six kills and Jordan Larson had five kills and a block. Dana Rettke had two kills, a block and the team’s other ace.
Drews was on fire again in a must-win match against Japan in front of an estimated 7,600 fans at home in Fukuoka. Playing for the JT Marvelous in Japan, Drews recorded 13 kills on 28 attempts and committed just one error.
Skinner had 11 kills and two blocks, while Larson, the other outside player, had 10 kills, one block and one ace.
Middle starter Anna Hall had nine kills and two blocks, while Washington, the other middle, had four kills and two blocks. Lauren Carlini set for the team, but Micah Hancock had two aces. Libero Justine Wong-Orantes had 20 digs.
Women’s Olympic athletes
The U.S. women’s team qualified for the Paris Olympics last year, but there are still five spots open for the Volleyball Nations League.
The current participating countries are Brazil, China, Dominican Republic, France, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Netherlands, Poland, Serbia and Turkey.
Read more about how each candidate won their bid here.
