Team USA dominate Brazil to win first women’s volleyball gold

MATCH STATISTICS

On the last day of the Tokyo Olympics, the United States women’s volleyball team seized the opportunity to make history.

The Americans swept Brazil to claim the country’s first-ever gold in women’s volleyball. This is the fourth overall medal for the United States in the sport after winning silver medals in 1984, 2008 and 2012.

Michelle Bartsch-Hackley set the tone in the opening set with back-to-back kills, and the United States took a 4-0 lead. A solid defensive play by Foluke Akinradewo Gunderson and stellar serves by Kim hill propelled the Americans to a 25-21 victory despite a missed appeal giving Brazil a point. Bartsch-Hackley finished Set 1 with eight kills and scored the last point to continue his momentum in Set 2.

Brazil took the lead early in the second set until Annie drew came alive and Haleigh washington made several aggressive plays. The US team built a nine-point lead, but the Brazilians continued a five-point run that brought the score to 16-20. Service faults ultimately killed the comeback attempt, and the Americans escaped with a 25-20 win to take a 2-0 advantage.

In set 3, the Americans played in perfect sync and with an intensity that you only see when there is a gold medal in play. Brazil did not score with its usual ferocity, and the United States did not score with its usual ferocity. took advantage of all the mistakes of their opponents while executing the game plan flawlessly. Triple Olympian Jordan larson pierced the match point to reveal the final score of 24-15 in set 3.

Free Justine Wong Orantes was also the key to the success of the American. She was all over the pitch throughout the game, scoring points for her teammates throughout the three sets.

After the game, Washington gave a touching interview in which she said she was “so honored” to have won gold with a team that emphasized a “12 strong” mentality.

“The hard work we did, the sweat, the tears, the blood, it was worth it,” she said. “I am so proud to have done it with this group of women.”