ARLINGTON, Texas — “Irritating loss,” USA Karch Kiraly mentioned Saturday after his workforce fell 29-27, 25-22, 20-25, 25-23 to Poland in Volleyball Nations League.
“It felt like we have been making an attempt to climb out of quicksand loads and we have been down a lot of the match.”
The American ladies must climb out of it in a rush, as a result of they conclude the second spherical of VNL at 3 p.m. Central Sunday towards Türkiye.
Poland leaves right here 8-0, tied atop the 16-team VNL lead with Brazil. Italy and Japan completed 6-2 and Türkiye is 5-2, alone in fifth place. Brazil completed the second spherical with a sweep of Thailand on Sunday in Macao, China.
The USA is 4-3 and in seventh place, share factors forward of Canada.
Canada continues its Olympic quest at UT Arlington at 11:30 a.m. Central when it performs Korea (1-6) and after USA-Türkiye, Bulgaria (1-6) performs Germany (1-6) in a battle of last-place groups.
There have been shiny spots for the USA, for certain, not the least of which was the efficiency of 37-year-old Jordan Larson. The skin hitter had 20 kills with one error — that try was blocked — in 40 assaults to hit .475. She additionally had a block and 11 digs.
“She’s enjoying unbelievably nicely proper now,” Kiraly mentioned. “If you take a look at her hitting .500 towards China, near .400 towards Brazil, four-something towards Canada, four-something tonight towards an excellent Poland workforce, she simply retains doing it.
“It’s actually spectacular how she ready herself for this 2024 season.”
Larson, the Nebraska nice and star of the Tokyo Olympics when the USA gained gold, acknowledged that the workforce continues to be forming and this group has had restricted time collectively, “however we shot ourselves within the foot.
“There are plenty of positives however extra work to do than something.”
In the event you take Larson out of the field rating, her teammates mixed for 42 kills with 21 errors in 106 swings. What’s extra, the USA had one ace, by Jordan Thompson, and 15 serving errors. Poland had two aces and eight errors and hit .240.
Thompson had 16 kills and a block. Kathryn Plummer obtained the beginning at exterior hitter and had six kills and three blocks, but in addition had 4 hitting errors in her 16 assaults and three service errors. She had 5 digs, however struggled a couple of instances on serve obtain and protection. Avery Skinner changed her within the third set and made a right away influence, ending with seven kills and a block. She had, nevertheless, 5 errors.
“Yeah, apart from hitting 4 BICs into the online,” Kiraly famous. “That was a catastrophe. (Skinner) is able to placing a gap of their flooring or knocking any person over, however we’ve to hit these over the online, however she’s doing a little very nice issues for USA and exhibiting some nice potential.”
Center Dana Rettke had seven kills in 11 errorless makes an attempt, a block and 6 block touches.
“Clearly our serving might have been higher, and that begins with me,” mentioned Rettke, who had an error and no aces in 13 serves. “Poland is a very, actually good workforce. They’re actually gifted with plenty of nice gamers … I believe normally right now we in all probability might have jumped in faster from the get-go but it surely was a fantastic studying expertise and we don’t must be at our greatest proper now, so this can be a good alternative to develop. Disappointing, however I believe we’ll have loads to remove from this match.”
Chiaka Ogbogu began on the different center spot and had a kill and a block earlier than being changed by Haleigh Washington within the second set. Washington had 5 kills and three blocks — two on the finish of the third set to win it — and 7 block touches.
USA setter Jordyn Poulter had two blocks and 6 digs, and solely two errors to point out for her 20 serves.
“It took us a short while to settle into how we need to play volleyball,” Poulter mentioned.
The People completed the second set on a 9-1 run and within the fourth led 22-21.
“Each match is a unique set of issues or a unique set of locks to select,” Kiraly mentioned, “and I believe we got here nearer however didn’t maintain the element performs sufficient to make it go 5 and provides ourselves an actual probability to win that one.”
Poland’s Magdalena Stysiak led her workforce with 24 kills, an ace and two blocks. Martyna Lukasik had 13 kills and a block and Natalia Medrzyk had 11 kills and a block.
“Within the first units we took benefit of a few of their errors by the US and we stored our consideration, our concentrate on the main points,” Polish coach Stefano Lavarini mentioned.
It’s greater than possible the 2 groups will meet once more in Paris, however that’s a great distance off. Kiraly is predicted to call the USA’s 12-person, one-alternate Olympics roster late subsequent week, however there’s no hurry. He has three weeks earlier than it needs to be submitted. Kiraly additionally talked about Saturday that he’s glad that two USA veterans who’ve but to play on this VNL, reverse Annie Drews and outdoors Kelsey Robinson Prepare dinner, can be within the fold quickly.
“We’ve obtained stuff to work on, for certain,” Kiraly mentioned.
“We’re not taking good care of the main points like we have to like I’m assured we’ll as we get into the season. It’s June no matter, first, so there’s plenty of work to be completed and there’s time to do it.”
