USA vs, Brazil: Two friendly women’s Olympic volleyball powers battle in semis

PARIS — Trust that Thursday’s Olympics women’s volleyball semifinal between the USA and Brazil will be a little less friendly than the last time they met.

The two Olympics powers — who are, in fact, friendly — actually scrimmaged here before the Games began. Three of the last four gold medals went to either Brazil (2008, 2012) and the USA (2021, when it defeated Brazil in the final). And the winner of this match will go for gold again.

“We were at VNL (Volleyball Nations League) week one in Brazil and our staffs get along really well,” USA coach Karch Kiraly said Tuesday night after his team swept Poland in the quarterfinals. “And I have a lot of respect for Ze Roberto (Roberto Guimaraes), he’s one of the great coaches on the planet. 

“We had a series of friendlies against Netherlands (in early July in Long Beach), but the first team we invited was Brazil, taking a risk that they might even be in our same pool. They said they had other things going on. But he did say how about we talk about scrimmaging like two or three days before opening ceremonies.

“So we talked about it again and said if we’re going to be in separate pools let’s do it. And soon as we found out June 17 or 18 we were in separate groups, I messaged him and he was like ‘Yup, I’m up for it,’ and so we scrimmaged at the special training facility we’ve been working out at.”

They played four sets.

“That was really fun to have them come and we felt like we helped each other prepare,” Kiraly said.

In this tournament, Brazil went 3-0 in pool play, sweeping Kenya, Japan and Poland before sweeping the Dominican Republic in the quarterfinals. 

The USA lost in five to China, defeated Serbia in five, and then swept France before its 25-22, 25-14, 25-20 victory Tuesday over Poland.

The USA and Brazil play at 4 p.m. local time (10 a.m. Eastern, 7 a.m. Pacific).

In the 8 p.m. semifinal, Italy, which swept Serbia, faces Türkiye, a five-set winner over China.

The USA was naturally thrilled after thumping Poland in the first two sets and then making a nice comeback in the third.

“We are right where we want to be,” setter Jordyn Poulter said. “We keep getting better every match. We’re staying connected through thick and thin and I’m just really proud to be a part of this team.”

“We have been hoping to put together some really nice spurts of volleyball and we put together a couple of nice sets. It’s really only the third match we’ve started with that group,” Kiraly said of the starting seven of outsides Kathryn Plummer and Avery Skinner, both first-time Olympians, middles Haleigh Washington and Chiaka Ogbogu, opposite Annie Drews, Poulter and libero Justine Wong-Orantes. 

“Some of the teams here have been playing with the same personnel for years. And that was our third start with that group. They’re starting to get the rhythm that we hoped they would and had we been able to do that in VNL — we couldn’t — we might have even a little more rhythm.

“So we’re going to need all that and more when we play Brazil, but it sure was nice to put together a nice match those first two games.”

The Poland match also marked the return of setter Lauren Carlini, who played against China but injured her back. She was replaced for the next two matches by the official alternate, setter Micha Hancock. Monday night, Kiraly put a healthy Carlini back on the roster in place of Hancock.

Against Poland, Drews — who has led in kills in every match — had 12 and so did Skinner, her best offensive performance. The same could be said for Plummer, who had eight kills, two blocks and two aces. 

Skinner and Plummer “were just eating them up,” Kiraly noted.

But in the first set, when the team needed steadier play, he subbed Plummer for veteran Kelsey Robinson Cook. And when Skinner struggled at the start of the third set, Kiraly quickly went to veteran Jordan Larson, who played strong defense and had three kills and a block.

“We definitely made quicker changes to try to stop the bleeding. Jordan Larson coming in, going to the double sub earlier with Lauren and JT (opposite Jordan Thompson) coming in. All of them played a big role in not allowing that team to come up for air. We had ’em down and wanted to keep ’em down.”

In the third set, the USA was down 5-0 and 10-6 “and it was huge to come back and squeeze that one out. Just to give extra rest to somebody like Jordyn Poulter and not have it go 17-15 in the fifth game. And it’s a confidence builder to be down against a good team and chip away.”

The key was defense. The USA’s floor defense perked up and the presence at the net was impressive, including a lot of block touches that slowed attacks and six blocks after 10-6.

Braziil outside Gabi Guimaraes is fifth in the tournament with 60 kills in 12 sets and is hitting .500. Opposite Rosamaria Montibeller has 42 kills and is hitting .446.

“They’re playing really well, so they’re going to be tough. And they’re led by somebody who is having the tournament of her life, Gabi, No. 10. She is the heart and soul of that team and she is playing really, really well. So we’re gonna have to contend with that,” Kiraly said.

“Their opposite is playing suprisingly well and so is Ana Cristina, the other outside. They’ve got firepower also, along with two exceptional middles. It’s a little like the firepower we have with two exceptional middles (Washington, Ogbogu) who have had fantastic tournaments.

“It should be really fun.”

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