2016 RIO OLYMPICS
Americans rebound from tough semifi nal losses to bring home three bronze medals from Rio in emotional Olympic Games
by Don Patterson and Jon Hastings
NOBODY WENT ON RECORD IN SAYING IT’S GOLD OR BUST, but that was pretty much the pre-Olympic mantra for most of the mem- bers of the U.S. Olympic Volleyball and Beach Volleyball Teams leading up to the competition in Rio de Janeiro in August. That sentiment was amplifi ed heading into the semifi nals for three of the American teams: the U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball Team, the U.S. Olympic Men’s Volleyball Team and the U.S. Olympic Women’s Beach Vol- leyball Team of Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross.
An unexpected thing happened on the way to the podium. Almost to a
player and coach, the color of the medal didn’t seem as important after all three teams rode the emotional pendulum during the fi nal hours in Rio. The U.S. Women, after dominating pool play, lost a heartbreaking
fi ve-set semifi nal match to Serbia after leading 11-8 in the fi fth. For a team focused on the gold, it was a painful defeat that produced a lot of tears, but their spirits were restored 48 hours later when they rallied to beat Netherlands in the bronze-medal match. The U.S. Men were three points away from an Olympic fi nal when a
serving spree from an Italian opposite ended one of the best comeback stories of the entire Olympic Games. The American men pulled together and rallied around retiring veteran Reid Priddy to defeat Russia in the bronze-medal match, 3-2, after dropping the fi rst two sets. Walsh Jennings and Ross were stunned by a Brazilian pair in the semi-
fi nals. Gone was Walsh Jennings’ historic chance at a fourth gold medal, but she and Ross maintained perspective after Walsh Jennings’ fi rst Olym- pic loss in 27 matches. “I have a new appreciation for that match,” Walsh Jennings said. “In
all of sports, the bronze medal match has to be one of the gnarliest. We were there for gold, and we lost in a way that to me is the most heartbreak- ing way to lose, which is almost giving it away. And we still had chances to win. If I have a bad game passing or if we’re not setting, usually we make it up on defense. And nothing was working in the semifi nals, and that’s just a bummer. The bronze-medal match – at the time – felt like the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my athletic career by far. But it was a blessing to be able to see what we were made of and to be the people that we aspire to be.”
38 | VOLLEYBALLUSA • Digital Issue at
usavolleyball.org/mag
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