The fate of the previously unbeaten USA women in the Road to Paris Volleyball Qualifier will come down to the last day.
That’s because the Americans lost to Poland on Saturday before the final match of the day in Lodz, Poland, when Italy played Germany.
Poland’s 27-25, 16-25, 25-23, 25-16 victory left the USA 5-1 with 15 points, The Americans were still in the lead with a 1.310 points ratio and are 16-6 in sets.
Poland, also 5-1, also had 15 points, a 1.152 points ratio and is 17-7 in sets.
The last match will eliminate either Italy or Germany, both 4-1.
Only the top two teams from this tournament get berths in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Sunday, the USA plays Germany at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, followed by Poland vs. Italy at 2:30. If three teams end up 6-1, it will come down to tiebreakers to decide the two Olympic spots.
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Poland’s Magdalena Stysiak had 20 kills, four blocks, eight digs and an ace against the USA. Martyna Lukasik had 10 kills, seven digs and two blocks, and Olivia Rozanski had 12 kills. Agnieszka Korneluk had eight kills and two blocks.
Jordan Thompson led the Americans with 13 kills, seven digs, two blocks and an ace. Jordan Larson had 11 kills, six digs, two blocks and an ace and Kelsey Cook had 12 kills and a block to go with a team-high nine digs. Chiaka Ogbogu had four kills, four blocks and an ace and Kathryn Plummer had five kills
This was their first meeting since Poland beat the USA 25-15, 16-25, 25-19, 18-25, 17-15 in July in Arlington, Texas, in the bronze-medal match of Volleyball Nations League. Stysiak led in that one, too, also with 20 kills, a block, two aces and 10 digs.
Earlier Saturday in Pool C, Slovenia (1-5) beat Colombia (1-5) in five as Mija Siftar had 25 kills, two blocks and three aces to go with eight digs. Colombia’s Ana Karina Olaya Gamboa had 21 kills and two aces. Then Thailand (3-3) swept Korea (0-6) behind 18 kills and a block from Ajcharaporn Kongyot.
In Pool A in Beijing, Serbia has clinched a spot. Read more about Serbia here.
Serbia and the Dominican Republic are both 5-1 with the Netherlands and Canada at 4-2. Sunday, Serbia plays China, but the second spot is on the line for the winner when the DR plays the Netherlands.
Read more about Türkiye’s win here.
In Pool B in Tokyo, Turkiye has clinched at 6-0. Japan and Brazil are both 5-1. Sunday, Japan plays Turkiye and Brazil…
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