United States Take 5-Set Thriller Over World Champs in Paris
PARIS, France, July 31, 2024.- Led by an incredible blocking
performance from Chiaka Ogbogu, the U.S. Women’s National Team earned a
dramatic 3-2 (25-17, 25-20, 20-25, 14-25. 17-15) victory over reigning
world champion Serbia in the Paris Olympics on Wednesday.
The U.S., which has earned three points in the standings by splitting
two five-set matches and is likely to advance to the quarterfinals, can
clinch that spot with a win over host France on Sunday, August 4.
Ogbogu recorded eight of the team’s 19 blocks in the match and totaled
14 points with six kills in her 11 attacks. The U.S. finished with five
more blocks, while trailing in kills (63-56) and service aces (6-3). The
U.S. benefited from 23 Serbian errors, most of which came in the first
two sets.
“Good teams make good plays and it took Serbia a while to make some,”
U.S. Head Coach Karch Kiraly said. “Then they really started pouring it
on in the third and fourth sets. We can’t be surprised by that just like
they can’t be surprised when we make a bunch of good plays.”
Serbia scored one more point in the match (102-101). The first two U.S.
matches have been separated by one point. In the U.S. five-set loss to
China on Monday, both teams scored 102 points.
Opposite Tijana Boškovic of Serbia scored 31 points on 27 kills, two
blocks and two aces.
Libero Justine Wong-Orantes continued her sterling Olympic play with a
double-double consisting of match-high 11 digs, including three crucial
digs in the fifth set, and 10 successful receptions. Setter Jordyn
Poulter ran the U.S. offense and also contributed eight digs. Outside
hitter Kelsey Robinson-Cook added five digs, three as she steadied the
defense in the fifth set.
Opposite Annie Drews led the team with 16 points on 15 kills and a
block. Drews registered the team’s first two points in the deciding set
and her kills gave the U.S. 15-14 and 16-15 leads. Outside hitter Avery
Skinner totaled 13 points with 11 kills and two blocks.
Three more U.S. players reached double digits as opposite Jordan
Thompson (10 kills and a huge block in the fifth set) and outside hitter
Kathryn Plummer (nine kills and two blocks) each scored 11 points.
Middle blocker Haleigh Washington also scored in double figures with 10
points on five kills, four blocks and an ace. Plummer totaled 16
successful receptions with Skinner adding 14.
“We knew this was going to be an intense match. Serbia is always a
strong opponent. We knew they were going to push back, and they did,”
Washington stated. “We just had to keep believing. It wasn’t a matter of
changing this or adjusting that. It was just a matter of weathering the
storm and repeating to ourselves, ‘Yes, we can. We have this.'”
When asked about rebounding after the tough five-set loss to China to
open the Olympics, Washington shared, “One our mantras is being where
our feet are. Yes, that loss was heartbreaking, but we took it as an
opportunity to learn and get better. Yesterday was about recovery. Today
was about Serbia and tonight will be about recovery. We just keep doing
that one day at a time and being present.”
A Washington kill on an overpass gave the U.S. a 6-2 lead in the first
set with Plummer scoring on a kill and a block in the opening points.
Serbia stormed back with a 6-1 run to take the lead and still led 14-12
when Ogbogu took over the set. She registered three blocks to fuel a
10-0 run that gave the U.S. a 22-14 lead.
Ogbogu added a pair of kills to score five points in the set. Drews
registered five kills, Plummer scored four points on three kills and her
early block, and Washington added two kills and served an ace during the
team’s dominant run.
Serbia made a series of hitting errors early in the second set, allowing
the U.S. to take a 12-7 lead. At that point in the match, Serbia totaled
14 hitting errors, while the U.S. was hitting nearly .400 as a team. A
6-1 Serbia run evened the set at 13. With the score tied at 16, the U.S.
ran off four points in a row with Skinner scoring from the back row and
making a strong dig in middle back to set up a Drews kill during the 4-0
run.
Leading 21-18, the U.S. played a great defensive point that ended with a
block by Washington. Micah Hancock, seeing her first action since
entering the lineup in place of the injured Lauren Carlini, served an
ace off the net, and Washington followed with her third block of the
set. Thompson ended the set on a kill with the U.S. up 24-20. Washington
led the U.S. team with five points, adding two kills to her blocks,
Skinner recorded four kills, and Plummer added three.
The U.S. took an early 7-4 lead in the third set, but Serbia quickly
evened the set at 9-9 and then scored six points in a row to take the
lead for good. A great dig by Wong-Orantes led to a Thompson kill that
pulled the U.S. within three points, 17-14, but a 6-1 run gave Serbia a
decisive 23-15 lead. The U.S. scored the next five points, the final two
on blocks by Ogbogu, but Serbia extended the match by scoring the final
two points of the set. Skinner and Drews each delivered four kills in
the set.
Serbia scored the first four points of the fourth set and by the time it
led 10-4, the U.S. was forced to use both its timeouts. A Skinner kill
followed by Ogbogu’s seventh block of the match brought the U.S. within
two points, 11-9, but Serbia finished the set on a 13-5 run to continue
the match. Thompson paced the U.S. with four kills.
A Thompson kill gave the U.S. an early 4-3 lead in the deciding set, but
Serbia went on another of its runs, this one 5-1, to take an 8-4 lead
into the side switch. Thompson scored again to close the gap to two
points and Skinner and Thompson recorded back-to-blocks to even the
score.
Serbia took what turned out to be its final lead of the match, 9-8, but
once again Ogbogu came up with a block, her ninth of the match. Poulter
followed with an ace and the U.S. took its first two-point lead of the
set when Drews scored down the line on transition after a block touch
slowed the Serbian attack.
A perfect pass from Robinson-Cook set up a Skinner kill to make it 12-9.
Serbia took a timeout and the two-time world champions cut the lead back
to one with two points, the second on a block. Ogbogu secured a kill
that came off the net, prompting Serbia to challenge a net touch to no
avail. Wong-Orantes came up with another great dig to set up a Plummer
kill off the block and give the U.S. two match points.
Serbia delivered a kill on the next point and staved off a second match
point with its 14th block. A perfect pass from Skinner led to a Drews
kill. After Serbia stopped a third match point, Drews again put the U.S.
within a point of victory. Wong-Orantes made a rally-saving dig on the
final point, which ended on a Serbian hitting error. Drews finished the
set with five kills, and Skinner and Thompson both scored three points
on two kills and their set-changing blocks.
Paris 2024 – Match Schedule and Results |