Still NOT over it.
It hasn’t been easy for USA volleyball fans since the team got eliminated from the Final 4 of the FIVB World Championship.
After losing to China and The Netherlands in the Third Round, the 2014 World Champions will NOT defend their crown and will now be playing in the 5th/6th Classification Match versus Japan on October 19th.
Their absence from the World Championship Final 4 is the FIRST time in 8 years that the Americans will NOT play for a medal (excluding the FIVB Grand Prix & VNL).
2011 FIVB World Cup SILVER (Coach McCutcheon)
2012 Olympics SILVER (Coach McCutcheon)
2013 Grand Champions Cup BRONZE (Coach Kiraly)
2014 FIVB World Championship GOLD (Coach Kiraly)
2015 FIVB World Cup BRONZE (Coach Kiraly)
2016 Olympics BRONZE (Coach Kiraly)
2017 Grand Champions Cup BRONZE (Coach Kiraly)
Their journey in Japan was NOT easy for the Americans led by veterans Jordan Larson, Foluke Akinradewo and 2014 World Championship MVP Kim Hill. In Round 1, they won all their matches but played in 5 sets against Russia and Thailand. They also dropped a set against the South Koreans.
In the next round, USA lost to Italy and China and was on the edge of not making it to Round 3 until Zhu Ting & her teammates eliminated the Russians.
In the third round, USA lost two 5 set matches against China and The Netherlands.
At this point, we’re not quite sure if Coach Kiraly will start with his usual lineup against Japan in their Classification Match.
At the press conference after their match against The Netherlands last Monday, Coach Kiraly admitted that the result is disappointing.
“It was a great battle. We fought hard to come back in the first set. Ultimately the result is very disappointing. They made some changes and we wasted chances in the third set. You have to be good at converting those chances against a team like the Netherlands.”
Jordan Larson was also disappointed & said just a few words.
“It is a disappointing loss. The Netherlands played well. There were moments where I thought we had it, but we let it slip away.”
As of press time, the Americans have been quite on social media after their elimination. No one has posted anything to address their shocking fate in Japan.
Some fans of Team USA have also posted their disappointment on social media saying that the team needs some new blood and even the possibility of bringing back former players Destinee Hooker and Nicole Fawcett.
At this point, we doubt the possibility of having those names getting an invite from Karch. The Tokyo Olympics is 2 years away.
Any Thoughts?
FIVB IMAGE
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