Big bounce back as USA men sweep Italy for Olympics volleyball bronze
The entire contingent of bronze medalists/FIVB photo PARIS — First-time Olympian Taylor Averill just shook his head. “What an emotional roller coaster the Olympics is,” Averill said with a laugh. “I mean, dude, we’re used to playing two, maybe three games most in a row. We played...
Olympics beach volleyball: Germans stuns Norway; Mel and Brandie make history
Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler react after upsetting Norway in the Paris Olympic semifinals/FIVB photo How many times had Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler come so close they could taste it — only to leave parched and starved? In four events in 2024 alone Germany had made...
Going for gold! USA women defeat Brazil in 5 in Olympics volleyball semifinals
USA Karch Kiraly exults after winning the semifinal match/FIVB photo PARIS — They’re back in the last match of the tournament and going for gold, and, no, they’re not defending their Olympic gold medal. The USA women are trying to win another one and get to do...
Olympic Beach: USA off the podium for first time in history after Benesh-Partain loss
Andy Benesh and Miles Partain picked the hill — or sword, to use their parlance — they would die on in the Paris Olympic Games. It’s a good word choice, sword. Their style of play — high passes, an on-two and jump-setting frequency that would make...
Poland dashes USA men’s Olympic volleyball gold-medal hopes
Poland is ecstatic after defeating the USA/FIVB photo PARIS — Bronze. “We came here to win,” USA coach John Speraw said. “I’m very disappointed.” You would expect nothing less from a team that aspired to win the Paris Olympics men’s volleyball tournament and the gold medal that comes...
USA vs, Brazil: Two friendly women’s Olympic volleyball powers battle in semis
The Americans celebrate sweeping Poland/FIVB photo 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...
Big Ten media days: Optimism as school’s keep up with ever-changing volleyball
Nebraska’s Kennedi Orr, left, Lindsay Krause and coach John Cook CHICAGO — The Big Ten volleyball coaches and student-athletes agreed that the sport’s future is bright, despite not knowing what exactly that will look like. Even with so much uncertainty surrounding volleyball, including conference realignment, booming attendance...
Nina Brunner, Tanja Huberli knock Cheng-Hughes, USA out of Paris
The scene for Switzerland vs. USA at the Paris Olympic Games/FIVB photo Rivo Vesik was sitting beyond the end line during April’s Guadalajara Challenge, in the nervewracking position familiar to all international beach volleyball coaches: complete and total helplessness. Once the match begins — in this case,...
Sweep! USA women thump Poland to make Olympic volleyball semifinals
Kathryn Plummer attacks against Poland/FIVB photo PARIS — The USA women will play Brazil on Wednesday in the Paris Olympics volleyball semfinals after they not only defeated Poland, but swept on Tuesday. “We’re excited that yesterday was not our last practice,” USA coach Karch Kiraly said, “and...
“Special group” of USA men face Poland in men’s volleyball semifinals
The USA was excited after beating Brazil/FIVB photo PARIS — If you’ve ever been to one of Poland’s matches, you know the chant. “Polska! Polska! Polska” There’s going to be a lot of that Wednesday afternoon in Paris Arena South 1 when Poland plays the USA in the...
Big Ten media days: West Coast teams the hot topic; first-day highlights
Wisconsin’s Devyn Robinson, left, Sarah Franklin and coach Kelly Sheffield CHICAGO — The biggest storyline of the 2024 Big Ten season wasn’t even in the building on Monday as the conference had the first of two media days. At the third annual Big Ten Volleyball Media Days,...
Moving on: USA men beat Brazil to advance to Olympics men’s volleyball semis
USA libero Erik Shoji lets TJ DeFalco take the pass against Poland/FIVB photo PARIS — The USA men are back in the Olympics volleyball semifinals. They beat Brazil on Monday 26-24, 28-30, 25-19, 25-19 to cap a wild day at South Paris Arena 1 that saw two...
Olympic Beach Volleyball: Wilkerson, Humana-Paredes clamp down, oust TKN
It was going right. All of it. The Kristen Nuss defense, the Taryn Kloth blocking. The shots, the swings, the extended rallies — all going the proper direction for the USA in their ninth-place matchup of the Olympic Games, against Canada’s Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie...
Olympics volleyball: Italy, France reverse sweep into semis; USA women play Poland
Barthelemy Chinenyeze of France attacks against Germany/FIVB photo PARIS — Sacrebleu! Yes, we used that French phrase basically in place of what the hell Sunday for the USA women’s match, but after Monday on the men’s side, well, holy blue. Or something like that. To wit: Two reverse...
Olympic Beach Volleyball: Budinger-Evans take ninth as Norway rolls on
Anders Mol serves against Chase Budinger and Miles Evans/FIVB photo They were underdogs going into the Paris Olympic Games and they knew it. Chase Budinger and Miles Evans embraced that role. What did they have to lose in an Olympic Games only one percent of voters thought...
Olympics beach volleyball: Cheng-Hughes outlast Gottardi-Menegatti in thriller
Kelly Cheng doesn’t do much with her fingernails. Good thing, too. On Sunday evening in Paris during their first-round playoff matchup with Italians Marta Menegatti and Valentina Gottardi, the length — or lackthereof — of the 6-foot-2 blocker’s nails was every bit as critical as her serving...
Cuba, Sweden, and why pool play must go
Cuba didn’t deserve that. Jorge Alayo and Noslen Diaz became the story of beach volleyball in these Olympic Games when they not only upset their way to a Pool D win but looked very much the part of the favorites to do so, sweeping Andy Benesh...
Olympics volleyball: “Gritty not pretty” USA women sweep France; men to face Brazil
A happy USA team after beating France/FIVB photo PARIS — You want pretty? They’d rather be gritty. And that is the USA women’s volleyball team in a nutshell at the Paris Olympics, as the Americans finished pool play with a sweep — not an easy sweep, by any...
Benesh-Partain issue statement after splitting with coach Mike Placek
One of the strangest, and most unexpected, storylines of the Paris Olympic Games is the abrupt split of Andy Benesh and Miles Partain and their coach, Mike Placek. This past Wednesday, early in Benesh and Partain’s final round of pool play — an eventual three-set win...
“We get another shot.” Budinger-Evans move into Olympic beach playoffs vs. Norway
Less than a week prior to leaving for the Paris Olympic Games, Chase Budinger was laughing about the way the beach volleyball scheduling can tend to go. Occasionally, you’ll see the same team, over and over and over again, to a comical degree — see:...