Olympic Games | No Gold: Serbia upsets USA in semis

Despite extraordinary Karsta Lowe-led comeback, serving errors doom USA; Foluke Akinradewo goes out with injury

National Team | A double sweep as USA wins two titles, both 3-0 over Brazil

Thompson, Miyashiro part of World Grand Prix championship in Omaha; Vansant, Hagglund win Pan Am Games gold in Toronto

• USA def. Brazil 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-21) [World Grand Prix Finals]
• USA def. Brazil 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 28-26) [Pan Am Games Gold Medal Match]

USA players celebrate a point in a 3-0 sweep of Brazil to win the 2015 World Grand Prix championship
-FIVB

USA won two titles in two countries Saturday, in both cases earning 3-0 sweeps against rival Brazil.

In Omaha, setters Molly Kreklow and Courtney Thompson spread the offense about as evenly as possible in a 3-0 win over the Brazilians (25-16, 25-22, 25-21). With the win, USA (4-0) clinched the 2015 World Grand Prix championship, even as they have one match remaining, Sunday morning against China (broadcast live at 10AM Pacific on NBC.)

Thompson and Kreklow kept Brazilian defenders off-balance by securing a combined 16 kills from outside hitters Kim Hill (10) and Kelsey Robinson (6), 15 combined kills from middle blockers Foluke Akinradewo (8) and Christa Dietzen (7) and 14 combined kills from opposites Karsta Lowe (9) and Kelly Murphy (5).

USA middle blocker had 7 kills and 7 blocks in a 3-0 sweep of Brazil
-FIVB

“We knew it was important to serve tough,” said US head coach Karch Kiraly, who credited Dietzen and Akinradewo with helping organize the American defense each time Brazil struggled to pass. Dietzen has 7 terminations blocks in the match, while fellow middle Akinradewo had 6 soft blocks.

“Brazil plays a very similar style as we do,” said Dietzen. “As blockers, we see attacks like those in our own gym.”

In Toronto, an American roster without a single Olympic veteran faced a Brazilian team that included several Olympic champions. One of those Brazilian veterans, outside hitter Fe Garay, showed an ability to dominate the match, serving aces and attacking with power from both the front and back row.

Each time Brazil surged ahead, the American scrambled back, thanks to exceptional defense by libero Natalie Hagglund (17 digs) and an offensive explosion by opposite Nicole Fawcett (19 kills). Outside hitter Krista Vansant struggled at times, especially with her passing, but contributed 10 kills. Jenna Hagglund, entering on the double-sub, led several big runs late in each set.

In the third set, Vansant excelled late at the service line, putting USA in a position to turn away three Brazilian set points. In the end, it was another 3-0 sweep for USA (25-22, 25-21, 28-26.), and Pan Am gold around their necks.

National Team | USA drops 5-set thriller to China in final World Grand Prix prelim

Courtney Thompson leads team to brink of an upset on China’s home court

• China def. USA 3-2 (22-25, 25-13, 25-22, 19-25, 15-12)

 

USA's Courtney Thompson sets against China during a World Grand Prix pool match in Hong Kong
-FIVB

It was the fifth set, USA led China 5-4. During the run of play, a China first-touch overpass broke the plane of the net, where USA middle Christa Dietzen roofed it back for an apparent point. But the referee called blocking interference, and gave the point to China. Replays showed the ball was clearly on the USA side, but coach Karch Kiraly did not call for a replay.

With Molly Kreklow rotating in for fifth-set starting setter Courtney Thompson, USA dropped the next four points, to trail 9-5. More than once, outside hitter Kelsey Robinson delivered offspeed attacks instead of hard hits. In each case, the Chinese answered with punishing kills.

Foluke Akinradewo (16), Courtney Thompson (3) and Kelly Murphy (12)
-FIVB

Robinson, who is among a group of 5 or 6 outside hitters with an eye on the roster for the Rio Olympics next summer, had 13 kills for the match. That was the most of any USA player … but not much for a five-set match. Middle Foluke Akinradewo finished with 12 kills; outside hitter Jordan Larson-Burbach and opposite Karsta Lowe each tallied 10.

China was the home team in Hong Kong, and cheers in the packed arena were led by the public address announcer. In that din, strong serving by Kim Hill brought the fifth set score to 11-9 China, but a Hill service error and a Robinson passing error put the score out of reach, sending the set and match to China.

Thompson, the former Washington All-American rotated in the first three sets, and started the final two. She effectively ran a quick tempo offense, and made several stellar defensive plays, including a monster dig early in the fifth set.

China (9-0 in pool play) and USA (8-1) are among six teams to qualify for next week’s World Grand Prix Finals in Omaha. USA will face Russia in the first match next week. Brazil and Italy have also qualified. The sixth team will be either Japan, Serbia or Germany.

National Team | USA Women’s Volleyball Road to Rio [Part 3]

Which players are in the running for the 12 USA women’s volleyball roster spots for the 2016 Olympic Games? Today: middle blockers

USA middle blocker Christa Dietzen

With decision time for the 2016 Rio Olympic roster roughly a year away, we’re running through the probable Rio roster candidates, and suggesting what each has to do to make the final cut.

Be sure to see our first two entries, Road to Rio (Part 1) and Road to Rio (Part 2), for a discussion of the decision process and a rundown of setters, opposites, outside hitters and liberos. Today’s post will focus on middles, maybe the deepest position in the USA gym.

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MIDDLE BLOCKERS

2012 London Olympics

• Foluke Akinradewo (Plantation, FL, Stanford University)
• Christa (Harmotto) Dietzen (Hopewell, PA, Penn State University
• Danielle Scott-Arruda (Baton Rouge, Long Beach State)

2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic candidates

• Akinradewo
• Dietzen
• Tori Dixon (Burnsville, MN, University of Minnesota)
• Lauren Gibbemeyer (St Paul, MN, University of Minnesota)
• Lauren Paolini (Ann Arbor, University of Texas)
• Cursty Jackson (Los Angeles, University of Arizona)
• Rachael Adams (Cincinnati, University of Texas)

Top to bottom, middles may be the strongest position on USA’s roster. Only three will go to Rio, and the battle for the third spot should be something to watch.

Foluke Akinradewo is the complete package: smart, great teammate, tall, quick, strong. Like all middles, her offense depends almost entirely on how well her teammates pass and dig: if her setter has few options, middle is usually not one of them. When she gets a good quick set, boom, it’s over. Like all middles, she can always up her serving game. Alinradewo was the second-best blocker (all countries) at the London Olympics, and has a clear path to the Rio roster.

Christa (Harmotto) Dietzen was also a London starter. She, too, is strong and smart, and is one of the team’s leaders, including captain of the gold medal 2014 World Championship team. She did not play professionally last winter as she recovered from a nagging knee injury. She is, however, on the roster for the final two World Grand Prix rounds, and we can measure her comeback by her performance in the grueling World Cup this August/September in Japan, where the top teams earn the first Olympic qualifying spots.

USA middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo

Tori Dixon and Lauren Gibbemeyer are both former Minnesota middles. This summer, they seem to be going head-to-head for one of the three middle slots in Rio. Dixon packs a wallop, and often muscles jousts to her advantage. Gibbemeyer is high-energy, converting quick sets with a whip arm and leading cheers after every point. Both are solid servers, so it might come down to intangibles. How would each fit the chemistry of the Rio team? Which one best handles defense after the serve? This battle could come down to the wire.

Lauren Paolini and Cursty Jackson are getting long looks this summer. Both are talented, but a trip to Rio could depend on whether there are injuries up the depth chart. Rachael Adams got lots of playing time last summer, but seems stuck among a wealth of talent. Any of these three might be in the mix for 2020.

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see also: Road to Rio(Part 1) (setters and opposites)

see also: Road to Rio(Part 2) (outsides and liberos)

National Team | USA now 7-0 in volleyball World Grand Prix with close win over Japan

Olympic vets Dietzen and Akinradewo make impact on return

• USA def. Japan 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 26-24)

USA libero Tama Miyashiro (center) leads a cheer during a 3-0 World Grand Prix win over Japan in Hong Kong
-FIVB

USA, welcoming four veteran players for the World Grand Prix third round in Hong Kong, rallied to sweep highly-ranked Japan, 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 26-24). USA—now 7-0 in pool play and ranked #1 in the world—will face Thailand Friday morning (3:30AM Pacific Time). Japan, ranked fourth in world, is now 3-4 in pool play, but is still in contention to be among the six teams to qualify for the Finals next week in Omaha.

USA Middle blocker Christa (Harmotto) Dietzen, playing her first major tournament match of the summer, recorded 8 kills and 3 blocks. Her fellow middle Foluke Akinradewo—also playing her first match of the current World Grand Prix—had 8 kills and one block. Two other third round additions were also in the starting lineup: opposite Kelly Murphy contributed 10 kills and a block, while outside hitter Jordan Larson-Burbach had 3 kills and 2 blocks.

USA middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo (16) exchanges high-fives with setter Molly Kreklow
-FIVB

USA’s biggest numbers came from outside hitter Kim Hill. She had 9 kills and a jaw-dropping 6 service aces against one of the best defensive teams in the world. 4 of those aces came during a crucial third set comeback. Libero Kayla Banwarth had another good match, contributing 9 digs.

Molly Kreklow and Courtney Thompson once again shared setting duties, with Thompson entering each set as part of a double-substitution with Karsta Lowe.

USA, China and Brazil are all 7-0 in pool play, and all have qualified for next week’s Finals. Contenders for the final three spots include Italy, Russia, Japan, Thailand and Germany

See also: USA Women’s Volleyball Road to Rio

National Team | Washington Alums named to US National Team Rosters

Courtney Thompson and Tama Miyashiro named to final two rounds of World Grand Prix; Krista Vansant and Jenna Hagglund on Pan Am Games squad

• July 16: USA vs. Japan, 3:30 a.m. PT
• July 17: USA vs. Thailand, 3:30 a.m. PT
• July 18: USA vs. China, 4:30 a.m. PT

Team captain Courtney Thompson (3) will remain on the USA roster for the final two rounds of the 2015 World Grand Prix
-FIVB

Two former Washington All-Americans—Olympians Courtney Thompson and Tama Miyashiro—will remain on the US National Team roster for this weekend’s World Grand Prix third round in Hong Kong, and for the Finals the following week in Omaha, Nebraska.

Thompson, the team captain, played in all six matches of the first two rounds, helping lead USA to a 6-0 record. Miyashiro, one of two liberos on the roster, played during the July 11 win over Turkey.

USA Head Coach Karch Kiraly made four changes to the roster for the final two rounds of the 2015 World Grand Prix
-FIVB

Head coach Karch Kiraly can choose 14 players from a roster of 25 for each round. Four changes were announced for the final two rounds:

• OH Jordan Larson-Burbach (Nebraska) replaces Krista Vansant (Washington)
• MB Christa Dietzen (Penn State) replaces Cursty Jackson (Arizona)
• MB Foluke Akinradewo (Stanford) replaces Lauren Paolini (Texas)
• OPP Kelly Murphy (Florida) replaces Nicole Fawcett (Penn State)

Vansant, Jackson, Paolini and Fawcett are on the roster for the Pan Am Games, now underway in Toronto. Former Washington All-American setter Jenna Hagglund is also on the US Team for Pan Am. Both Vansant and Hagglund played major roles for the US in the earlier similarly-named Pan Am Cup; Vansant was MVP of that tournament, hosted by Peru and won by USA.

2015 U.S. Women’s National Team Roster for FIVB World Grand Prix Weeks 3 & 4

2	Kayla Banwarth	L	5-10	Dubuque, Iowa	University of Nebraska
3	Courtney Thompson	S	5-8	Kent, Wash.	University of Washington
5	Tama Miyashiro	L	5-7	Kaneohe, Hawaii	University of Washington
8	Lauren Gibbemeyer	MB	6-2	St. Paul, Minn.	University of Minnesota
10	Jordan Larson-Burbach	OH	6-2	Hooper, Neb.	University of Nebraska
11	Megan Easy	OH	6-3	Durham, N.C.	Penn State University
12	Kelly Murphy	OPP	6-2	Wilmington, Ill.	University of Florida
13	Christa Dietzen	MB	6-2	Hopewell Twn, Penn.	Penn State University
15	Kim Hill	OH	6-4	Portland, Ore.	Pepperdine University
16	Foluke Akinradewo	MB	6-3	Plantation, Fla.	Stanford University
18	Molly Kreklow	S	6-0	Delano, Minn.	University of Missouri
21	Tori Dixon	MB	6-3	Burnsville, Minn.	University of Minnesota
23	Kelsey Robinson	OH	6-2	Bartlett, Ill.	University of Nebraska
25	Karsta Lowe	OPP	6-4	Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.	UCLA

NOTES

• Although all three World Grand Prix matches in Hong Kong are in the middle of the night, Pacific Time, they should be available for online replay at universalsports.com/Olympics.

• Among those on the 25-player preliminary World Grand Prix roster who were not named to any of the 14-player competition rosters are setter Alicia Glass, libero Nicole Davis, outside hitter Cassidy Lichtman, outside hitter Kristin Hildebrand, opposite hitter Alix Klineman, outside hitter Michelle Bartsch and middle blocker Rachael Adams. Adams, Bartsch, Hildebrand and Lichtman are on the Pan Am roster. Carli Lloyd and Jenna Hagglund are the two setters; Natalie Hagglund is the libero.

NCAA | Washington vs Penn State played memorable match the last time out

“Courtney Thompson just kicked our butts,” remembers a former Penn State star

• #12 Wisconsin vs. #1 Texas | December 19 | 4:30 PM (Pacific) |Key Arena, Seattle
• #2 Penn State vs. #3 Washington | December 19 | 6:30 PM (Pacific) |Key Arena, Seattle

National Team | USA defeats Japan to take World Grand Prix volleyball 6th place

Americans break 4-match losing streak with 5-set win

• #1 USA def. #3 Japan 3-2 (17-25, 25-19, 18-25, 25-17, 15-12)
• next: NORECA Championships | September 16-21 | Omaha

It had been a rough World Grand Prix for Nicole Fawcett.

The 6-4 opposite out of Penn State had been in and out of the lineup, locked in a battle with newcomer Kelly Murphy to be in the right side mix once Destinee Hooker returns. Mostly, she had been out.

 

USA head coach Karch Kiraly reacts during his team's 3-2 World Grand Prix victory over Japan
-photo courtesy FIVB

But with USA facing the possibility of a 5-match skunking in the World Grand Prix finals, Fawcett replaced a suddenly-struggling Murphy in the second set. In the end, she would connect on 22 kills to lead the Americans to a much-needed come-from-behind victory against host Japan. USA won the final match 3-2 (17-25, 25-19, 18-25, 25-17, 15-12) in Sapporo, Japan.

Japan and USA both finished 1-4 in the final round-robin. Because scoring is based on points throughout the 5 match finals, USA finished in 6^th place with 3 points. Brazil crushed previously-undefeated China 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-20) to win the gold, while Serbia beat Italy 3-2 (22-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25-16, 15-11) for third place.

Only three members of the 2012 US Olympic team participated in this year’s Grand Prix: libero Tama Miyashiro and middle Christa Harmotto saw action throughout the entire month, while setter Courtney Thompson contributed to three wins in Belgrade.

“There were a lot of people,” said head coach Karch Kiraly in a post-match press conference, “who hadn’t had any significant time in the World Grand Prix – people like Cassidy Lichtman, Lauren Paolini, Lauren Gibbemeyer, Kayla Banwarth, Kimberly Hill, Kelly Murphy. It was really good for them to get experience. The positive was the nice Preliminary Round we played; the difficult part was seeing how good we have to be to compete in the world.” Washington alum Jenna Hagglund was another newer USA player; she one again saw action in all five sets.

With one more international competition this summer—the NORECA Continental Championship September 16-21 in Omaha—Alicia Glass has seen the lion’s share of playing time at setter, with Hagglund and Thompson coming in during late-set switches. Glass’s decidedly sub-par week in Sapporo continued against Japan, as she committed 2 service errors, 4 digging errors 3 blocking errors and 2 setting errors. Open expressions of emotion are not her style, and while she connects well with middles when passers are on target, she struggles when she sets out of system. On defense, opponents have effectively targeted her for tips and roll shots.

That said, it’s a long way to Rio. Grand Prix rosters for the first year of a quad are rarely a good predictor of the final squad selected for the next Olympics.

National Team | Serbia dominates USA in World Grand Prix volleyball

Tama Miyashiro plays well at libero; Jenna Hagglund provides set 2 spark

• #9 Serbia def. #1 USA 3-1 (25-23, 20-25, 25-18, 25-23)
• next: #1 USA vs. #5 China | August 29 | 9:30PM (Pacific Time)

National Team | USA rallies to earn spot in World Grand Prix volleyball final round

Nicole Fawcett and Kim Hill spark come-from-behind victory over Bulgaria

• #1 USA def. #42 Bulgaria 3-2 (16-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25-15, 15-8)
• next: FIVB World Grand Prix final round | USA, China, Brazil, Serbia, Italy, Japan | August 28 – September 1 | Sapporo, Japan

National Team | Tama Miyashiro shines in World Grand Prix volleyball victory

Washington alum named player of the match in win against host Japan

• #1 USA def. #3 Japan 3-1 (25-17, 25-19, 21-25, 25-18)
• next: #1 USA vs. #43 Bulgaria | August 17, 2013 | 11:30PM (Pacific Time) | Sendai, Japan

National Team | USA knocks off unbeaten Serbia in World Grand Prix volleyball

Courtney Thompson provides spark, Christa Harmotto and Kelly Murphy provide power in big five-set win in Belgrade

• #1 USA def. #9 Serbia 3-2 (25-24, 22-25, 25-17, 23-25, 15-12)
• next: #1 USA vs. #24 Czech Republic | August 16, 2013 | Sendai, Japan

National Team | USA cruises to a 3-0 World Grand Prix volleyball win

Courtney Thompson , Kristin Hildebrand and Cassidy Lichtman all shine against Netherlands

• #1 USA def. #20 Netherlands 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-13)
• next: #1 USA vs. #9 Serbia | August 11, 2013 | Belgrade, Serbia

National Team | Brazil beats USA in World Grand Prix volleyball pool play

Rivalry heats up; Washington alums Miyashiro and Hagglund contribute

·         #2 Brazil def. #1 USA 3-1 (17-25, 25-23, 25-28, 25-20)
·         next: #1 USA vs. #14 Algeria | August 9, 2013 | Belgrade, Serbia

Olympics | Gold Medal Match: How USA beat Brazil 12 days ago

Gold Medal match: USA (7-0) vs. Brazil (5-2)
Saturday, August 11 | 10:30am (Pacific)

Only July 30, USA met Brazil in the second match of Olympic pool play. Coming in, USA had looked erratic in a hard-fought 3-1 victory against South Korea. Brazil had struggled to a 3-2 win against Turkey.

USA’s 3-1 win against Brazil that night was hardly easy (25-18, 25-17, 22-25, 25-21). But a careful review of that contest may shed light on what to expect during Saturday’s gold medal rematch:

USA STEPPED UP ITS PASSING

Logan Tom passes as Nicole Davis looks on during
USA's July 30 win against Brazil
-Getty

After a shaky pool play performance against South Korea, libero Nicole Davis greatly improved her serve-receive game against Brazil. It helped that the Brazilians had a terrible serving night; when they weren’t making service errors (15 for the match), they were delivering easy serves. By comparison, USA served tough, particularly Jordan Larson and Logan Tom.

LOGAN TOM WAS ON FIRE

Olympics | Keys to Wednesday’s USA vs. China match

USA (2-0) vs. China (2-0)

Wednesday, August 1, 12:00noon (Pacific)
[Live on www.nbcolympics.com/liveextra/]

After dispatching Brazil, the US team faces another formidable foe: China.

Here are a couple things to watch when the teams take the court Wednesday at noon (Pacific):

PASSING

USA’s serve receive was vastly better against Brazil than in its first match against South Korea. At every level of volleyball, the ability of back row players to consistently deliver clean passes gives a setter her full arsenal of weapons. Conversely, several USA servers have room for improvement, as they’ve delivered too many easily-passed balls to their opponents.

MIXING IT UP

American setter Lindsey Berg has made little secret that Destinee Hooker is her go-to hitter. That said, Berg’s distribution has been both respectable—and consistent. Here are the attack attempts for the first two matches:

	vs. South Korea	vs. Brazil
Destinee Hooker	42	45
Jordan Larson	33	36
Logan Tom	34	27
Foluke Akinradewo	17	19
Christa Harmotto	8	8

(NOTE: Berg delivered 71% of USA’s sets against Korea and 77% against Brazil)

If opponents key on Hooker, or if Hooker gets tired (as she seemed to against South Korea), Berg will need all her weapons. In particular, both Akinradewo and Harmotto are capable of piling up points when the opponent’s second middle blocker is in the rotation; Berg would do well to look to them more often.

DEFENDING RIGHT SIDE

Both USA setters—Lindsey Berg and Courtney Thompson—are 5-8, on the short side for international play. While blocking is not their first responsibility, the USA is vulnerable in rotations 4, 5 & 6, when the setter is in the front row. In those rotations, Harmotto has helped tremendously with her eyework and long arms, often blocking line by reaching over Berg. The trouble comes when opponents tip … and Hooker is playing back row behind the setter. USA did a great job covering tips against Brazil, however, and may need to be equally alert against the Chinese.

Lindsey Berg (4), Christa Harmotto (13) and Logan Tom (15) put up a right side triple block against Brazil
-photo courtesy David Weitl