Along with defending-champion USA, there are 11 different girls’s groups competing for volleyball gold within the Paris Olympics. It is a have a look at every of them.
These Olympics function a brand new and completely different format. Gone are the six-team swimming pools, changed with three swimming pools of 4 every. The highest two squads in every pool make the ultimate eight and can be joined within the single-elimination bracket by the highest two third-place finishers.
How is that decided? Victories, match factors and set ratios. So each match — maybe each level — is necessary.
These 11 Olympics groups function three former NCAA gamers, a so-called Pool C “Pool of Dying,” and maybe its first European champion. The final workforce from Europe or close by to win: The Soviet Union in 1988.
Pool A
France, USA, China, Serbia
France: First-time Olympics participant France, which completed 2-10 in Volleyball Nations League and can probably get swept 3 times, is the highest seed, a privilege prolonged to each host nation.
VNL was France’s first elite stage worldwide competitors since 1974. The workforce contains Christina Bauer, who signed with LOVB Houston, and UCLA product Iman Ndiaye
China: China, which received the 2016 Rio Olympics, certified by way of VNL primarily based on world rating after a disappointing efficiency in final fall’s Olympic qualification match. 2016 MVP Zhu Ting returned to the workforce for the primary time since hurting her wrist in the course of the Tokyo Olympics and remains to be coping with the harm. China’s left-handed exterior hitter Li Yingying is a famous person and middles Yuan Xinyue and Wang Yuanyuan can carry their workforce.
Serbia: Serbia took bronze in Tokyo and is the two-time defending World Champion, but it surely skipped VNL. Serbia boasts one of many world’s most dynamic gamers in lefty Tijana Boskovic and two seasoned setters in Maja Ognjenovic and Bojana Drca.
Pool B
Brazil, Poland, Japan, Kenya
Brazil: Brazil, which misplaced to the USA within the Tokyo gold-medal match, needs to be thought-about one of many favorites. Brazil, fourth in VNL, has a bunch of star gamers, together with outsides Gabi, Ana Cristina and Julia Bergmann. Bergmann had an All-American profession at Georgia Tech.
Center Thaisa, a two-time Olympic champion (2008, 2012) who returned to the nationwide workforce in 2023, remains to be a star at 37. Brazil additionally has the X issue of coach Ze Roberto.
Poland: Poland, third in VNL, can also be a favourite with prime expertise and big gamers. Joanna Wołosz is likely one of the prime setters on the earth and her weapons embrace 6-8 reverse Magdalena Stysiak and 6-6 center Agnieszka Korneluk. Poland wants large play from outsides Martyna Łukasik and Natalia Mędrzyk and higher go reception than it received in VNL.
Japan: Japan is available in using excessive after shedding to Italy within the VNL gold-medal match, its most profitable worldwide match since 2012. It won’t have been the strongest VNL area, however nonetheless left Japan as one of many contenders in Paris.
Outdoors hitters Sarina Koga and Mayu Ishikawa are key. Airi Miyabe, a pin hitter at Minnesota, has transitioned impressively to the center and was invaluable to Volleyball World TV as an English translator for her teammates’ post-match interviews. Manami Kojima, a LOVB signee, was named the very best libero within the VNL.
Kenya: Kenya, like France in Pool A, is taking a look at three sweeps. Kenya has not competed internationally for the reason that 2022 World Championships.
Pool C
Italy, Türkiye, Netherlands, DR
Italy: Italy received VNL and needs to be thought-about a favourite, but it has by no means received an Olympic medal.
After the dismissal of coach Davide Mazzanti, Julio Velsasco took over and reintroduced key gamers Paola Egonu, Alessia Orro, and Monica De Gennaro to the workforce, all instrumental in Italy’s VNL title. However Italy is coping with accidents. Elena Pietrini is out with shoulder surgical procedure, whereas Alice Degradi sustained a knee harm in a latest pleasant match. Their absence leaves a void in Italy’s already restricted group of out of doors hitters, the place Miriam Sylla and Cate Bosetti are mainstays, with Gaia Giovannini becoming a member of for her debut in a significant match.
Türkiye: Türkiye, behind the addition of Cuban reverse Melissa Vargas, a one-woman wrecking crew, received each VNL and the European championship in 2023. Nonetheless, the Turks’ momentum heading into the 2024 Olympics has been tempered by accidents and inconsistency, which confirmed in a quarterfinal VNL exit.
Outdoors hitters Hande Baladin and Ilkin Aydin and Zehra Gunes have been sidelined with accidents. However Türkiye nonetheless has the explosive and crowd-pleasing/instigator Ebrar Karakurt, who can carry her workforce.
Dominican Republic: The DR stays one of the crucial enigmatic groups in girls’s volleyball, with spectacular victories like upsetting the USA within the NORCECA Championship and Serbia in Olympic qualifying final yr. Conversely, the DR has had stunning defeats, corresponding to shedding to Czechia in Olympic qualifying.
Brayelin Martinez, a 6-7 exterior, and sister Jineiry Martinez, a center, lead the workforce. Brenda Castillo is likely one of the world’s finest liberos. Bethania De La Cruz, who starred in America the previous few years, first with Athletes Limitless after which this previous Professional Volleyball Federation season with the Omaha Supernovas, will conclude her illustrious worldwide profession in Paris. Brazil’s Bergmann shouldn’t be the one ACC participant within the Video games. Miami setter Ariana Rodriguez, a New Yorker who can be a sophomore, will make her Olympic debut.
Netherlands: The Dutch took it right down to the wire, narrowly edging Canada for his or her spot within the Olympics. They’ve an uphill battle in Paris.
The Netherlands depends closely on middles Eline Timmerman, Juliet Lohuis and Indy Baijens. Setter Sarah Van Aalen has to hope inconsistent outsides Nika Daalderop, Jolien Knollema, Anne Buijs and Marrit Jasper come up large. LOVB Omaha setter Laura Dijkema is not going to be on the Olympic roster, however will function a member of the teaching workers. The Netherlands’ final Olympic look was in 2016 in Rio the place it misplaced to the USA within the bronze-medal match.
