PARIS — Sacrebleu!
Sure, we used that French phrase mainly rather than what the hell Sunday for the USA girls’s match, however after Monday on the boys’s facet, effectively, holy blue. Or one thing like that.
To wit: Two reverse sweeps within the first three matches within the Paris Olympics volleyball, together with France over Germany within the third match of the day that put sold-out South Paris Area I into Le Bleu bedlam.
It will be fairly an understatment to say it had been fairly a day by the point the boys took the court docket at 9 p.m. native time for its quarterfinal match towards Brazil.
Within the first match, Poland knocked out Slovenia to make it to the semifinals because the 1980 Moscow Video games. Poland misplaced within the quarterfinals in every of the final 5 Olympics.
Poland performs the winner of the USA-Brazil match.
Then Italy — down 24-21 within the third set! — pulled off a reverse sweep to beat Japan, going additional time in every of the final three units.
Lastly, France rebounded towards Germany in an incredible battle.
The recaps observe, however first a take a look at Tuesday’s girls’s quarterfinals.
Paris Olympics girls’s volleyball quarterfinals
All occasions Paris native, which is 6 hours forward of Japanese, 9 hours forward of Pacific:
9 .m. — China vs. Turkiye
1 p.m. — Brazil vs. Dominican Republic
5 p.m. — USA vs. Poland
9 p.m. — Italy vs. Serbia
In these Olympics, the USA misplaced to China within the opener. China received the primary two units, the Individuals stormed again and had an 8-7 lead within the fifth earlier than falling 25-20, 25-19, 17-25, 20-25, 15-13. They bounced again with a five-set victory over Serbia, successful in the identical trend as they misplaced, 25-17, 25-20, 20-25, 14-25, 17-15. Then Sunday the USA battled to a sweep of France 29-27, 29-27, 25-20.
The offensive star has been veteran left-handed reverse Annie Drews, who has led her staff in kills in all three matches with 26 towards China, 15 towards Serbia and 15 extra towards France. Her complete of 56 ranks fourth within the Olympics behind lefty reverse Tijana Boskovic of Serbia (75), righty reverse Melissa Vargas of Türkiye (68) and Li Yingying, the lefty exterior hitter for China (61).
In Volleyball Nations League, the USA misplaced to Poland in 4 on June 1 in Arlington, Texas. Drews didn’t play within the 29-27, 25-22, 20-25, 25-23 setback. Jordan Larson led with 20 kills and a block and the opposite Olympic reverse, Jordan Thompson, had 16 kills, a block and an ace. Kathryn Plummer had six kills and three blocks and the opposite beginning Olympic exterior, Avery Skinner, had seven kills and a block.
In these Olympics, Poland beat Japan in 4, swept Kenya and bought swept by Brazil. Magdalena Stysiak leads Poland with 35 kills.
Poland advances with sweep of Slovenia
Poland received 25-20, 24-26, 25-19, 25-20 and celebrated prefer it was 1980.
“I feel the tears described it greatest,” Poland’s Jakub Kochanowski stated. “I understand how troublesome it’s after taking part in nice volleyball within the group stage to maintain it within the quarterfinals.
“Each Polish nationwide staff in volleyball in earlier Olympic Video games had been taking part in nice volleyball within the pool phases and, as the favourite within the quarterfinal, it’s very troublesome to maintain it.
“Perhaps that was the spell (to interrupt), to not play the best volleyball within the group stage, however being mentally powerful and exhibiting the most effective volleyball from the quarterfinal.”
Wilfredo Leon led with 14 kills, a block and 5 aces. Bartosz Kurek had 18 kills and an ace. Kochanowski had eight kills, a block and an ace and Tomasz Fornal had 4 kills, three blocks and two aces. Poland had 12 aces to Slovenia’s 5.
Slovenia’s Klemen Cebulj had 16 kills and Tine Urnaut 10 kills, a block and two aces.
“We performed nice volleyball within the group. We received 3-1 towards Canada, 3-0 towards Serbia and 3-2 towards the Olympic champions France in entrance of their house crowd,” Slovenia’s Rok Mozic stated.
“Right now we arrived at a Poland staff that was very motivated. They performed superb volleyball.”
Italy pulls off reverse sweep of Japan
Italy awaited the France-Germany winner after its unbelievable 20-25, 23-25, 27-25, 26-24, 17-15 victory.
“Being two units down and trailing 24-21 (within the third set), I don’t understand how we had been in a position to flip it round,” Italy’s Alessandro Michieletto stated.
“We weren’t excellent, me included, however we clung on by our fingernails and took the win. We had some luck, we did some issues effectively. However we didn’t wish to go house immediately.”
Added teammate Riccardo Sbertoli, “We misplaced this recreation two or thrice, after which we received it as soon as — however the appropriate one.”
Michieletto led Italy with 22 kills and two blocks. Daniele Lavia had 16 kills, two blocks and an ace and Yuri Romano had 16 kills, a block and an ace.
“It was distressing. They’re an unbelievable staff,” setter Simone Giannelli stated. “I stated it earlier than the Olympic Video games, whoever meets Japan shall be fatigued. We met them and I knew it could be a match like this. To win this, you needed to win it with a tiebreak.”
Japan’s unbelievable Yuki Ishikawa had 30 kills and two aces. Yuji Nishida added 18 kills, a block and three aces. Ran Takahashi added 13 kills, a block and two aces.
“We’re so dissatisfied as a result of we had been so near reaching the semifinals,” stated Japan Philippe Blain, who’s leaving this system after seven years. “We dreamed of having the ability to get a medal, however that received’t be the case. We tried to remain aggressive, centered however we had been simply lacking some extent.”
France thrills the home-country crowd
This one had a bit of little bit of every part, together with Germany getting a pink card and shedding some extent at 8-5 within the fifth, though it closed the hole to at least one level, the final at 13-12. Germany sailed its final three serves previous the baseline, together with the match-ender by Ruben Schott.
Ultimately, France moved on with an 18-25, 26-28, 25-20, 25-21, 15-13 victory and performs Italy.
Earvin Ngapeth had 17 kills, three blocks and two aces for France, which received gold within the Tokyo Olympics. Trevor Clevenot had 19 kills and a block and Theo Faure had eight kills, two blocks and an ace. Barthelemy Chinenyeze had 4 kills, 4 blocks and an ace. Each groups had 12 blocks.
Germany’s Gyorgy Grozer capped his great match with 17 kills, 4 blocks and an ace. Anton Brehme had 12 kills and two blocks and Krick had 10 expertise and 4 blocks. Moritz Reichert had 12 kills and a block and Moritz Karlitzek had 11 kills and an ace.
