On Sunday morning, the U.S. women’s volleyball team will have a chance to win the gold medal when they face Italy, as they look to defend the gold medal title they won at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
The U.S. team recorded a stunning 3-2 (25-23, 18-25, 25-15, 23-25, 15-11) victory in a hard-fought five-set semifinal against world number two Brazil.
Before the tournament, I wrote that one advantage the U.S. had was the team’s experience, with eight of the 12 players on the roster returning from the gold medal-winning team in Tokyo, but it was two players making their Olympic debuts who made an impact against Brazil and throughout the tournament.
Outside hitters Katherine Plummer and Avery Skinner took some time to break into the rotation during the tournament, but they proved to be the future of Team USA. Both players led their teams to national titles at the collegiate level. Plummer won an incredible three national titles at Stanford University, while Skinner won a national title at Kentucky.
Plummer led all players in the semifinal with 26 points, along with 23 kills, two blocks and an ace. Skinner recorded a double-double with 15 kills and 10 digs to go with his 19 points. Both young stars received heavy praise from their head coach after the match.
“It’s so much fun watching Katherine and Avery dominate the games,” U.S. coach Karch Kiraly said. said“They give us great firepower.”
In the deciding fifth set, Skinner and Plummer each scored three points for the U.S., with Plummer scoring the winning point to lead the U.S. to the victory and advance to the gold medal match.
While those two were the stars, it was a total team effort that led to the close win over Brazil. Libero Justine Wong-Orantes was a steady presence in the back row with 10 digs. Opposite Annie Drewes had 17 kills and 18 points, and middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu had four blocks. Their backups Jordan Thompson and Hailey Washington each had five points. The setters, with starter Jordan Poulter and reserve Lauren Carlini, contributed 67 kills for the U.S.
Team USA will next face the No. 1-ranked Italian team, who defeated Turkey 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-22).
Italy was led by outside hitter Paola Egonu, who scored 21 points and had two aces against Turkey. As good as Egonu is, it makes sense that the offense would revolve around her. The only other player in double figures for Italy was Miriam Sylla, who had 12 points against Turkey.
Defensively, Italy was led by middle blocker Sara Fahr, a powerful middle player who recorded four blocks in the semifinal against Turkey. Italy was also a threat on the serve, hitting five aces in the match against Turkey.
If the U.S. team can keep up the strong performances of Plummer and Skinner and hold off Egonu, the U.S. has a great chance to repeat as champion and win another gold medal.
The game will air at 7 a.m. ET on NBC or stream on Peacock.
