PARIS — If you happen to’ve ever been to one in all Poland’s matches, you recognize the mantra.
“Polska! Polska! Polska”
There’s going to be loads of that Wednesday afternoon in Paris Enviornment South 1 when Poland performs the USA within the Paris Olympics males’s volleyball semifinals.
Poland superior Monday with a four-set win over Slovenia after which the USA did the identical to Brazil, which is out of the semifinals for the primary Olympics since 2000.
And now these two groups, that performed a pleasant in Poland the week earlier than the Video games and with rosters of associates and membership teammates, go at it once more at 4 p.m. native (10 a.m. Japanese, 8 a.m. Pacific).
“I’ve had loads of Poland questions already as a result of I play in Poland,” veteran USA libero Erik Shoji mentioned simply shortly after the match. “They’ve received an incredible workforce. I do know loads of them, I’ve performed in all probability six of them and I do know rather a lot about them,” he added with amusing, “in life and in volleyball. So it’s enjoyable. It’s going to be a tough match, that’s for certain.”
The winner performs for gold; the loser for bronze.
“It’s an enormous deal to be again on this scenario, as I’ve needed for these guys,” USA coach John Speraw mentioned. “They’ve been right here earlier than. So for them to have one other alternative to be on this medal second within the semifinals of the Olympic Video games is an actual particular alternative that not many individuals get.”
Certainly. The USA males have gained gold 3 times, in 1984 and 1988 and once more in 2008. In 2016 the Individuals gained bronze, however within the final Olympics in 2021 in Tokyo, they didn’t advance to the quarterfinals, one thing that has pushed this group ever since.
Between the 4 groups — USA, Poland, Italy and France — “there’s loads of respect,” Speraw mentioned. “These gamers all know one another very well, and if you consider the groups which might be left, all of them play with one other and all play in the most effective leagues on this planet in Italy and Poland and I feel everybody’s enthusiastic about these matchups.”
Italy performs France at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Poland gained Olympics gold in 1976, however is within the semifinals for the primary time since 1980. France — which had by no means gained a medal — took gold in Tokyo after dropping to the USA within the first match of the match. Italy, which has by no means gained Olympics gold, received silver in 1996, 2004 and misplaced to the French within the Tokyo ultimate.
Poland is led by Wilfredo Leon, who ranks seventh within the Video games with 68 kills. The USA’s TJ DeFalco is tied for ninth with 62. American Taylor Averill is second in blocks with 13 and Leon is tied for the lead with 11 aces. Averill has essentially the most USA aces, six.
Whereas Averill, whereas 32, is a first-time Olympian, lots of the workforce have been round some time. Matt Anderson (37) and David Smith (39) are of their fourth Olympics; Shoji, Micah Christenson, Max Holt and Thomas Jaeschke are of their third. TJ DeFalco, Garrett Muagututia and Aaron Russell are of their second Video games.
“This can be a actually particular group that has meant rather a lot to me,” Speraw mentioned. “I’ve spent 12 years of my life teaching these guys and a few — David Smith, Matt Anderson, Max Holt — not for much longer. They usually’ve had an incredible profession. Nice VNL runs, nice World Cups, nice Olympic runs, and so they have that one Olympics that wasn’t excellent. It was considerably anomalous for this group.
“My complete objective for them this summer season was for them to get so far. That was my objective for them.”
Speraw is coming off back-to-back NCAA titles because the coach of the UCLA males. He was an assistant to Hugh McCutcheon when the USA gained gold in Beijing in 2008.
So he’s performed Poland greater than will be imagined. This workforce “is bodily and massive, they serve the ball very well, they’ve received good methods, they play actually good protection, they’re a very well-rounded workforce.
“And Poland is deep, in order that they’ve the flexibility to be versatile and match up in a different way with totally different groups. If they should convey anyone off the bench to make a distinction they will. The arduous half about taking part in Poland is it’s important to be prepared for everyone.”
After they performed one another in Volleyball Nations League on Might 22 in Türkiye, Poland swept, however not one of the Olympians had been on that USA squad.
