It proved to be a day to remember in Tokyo for American volleyball. Or the American women’s volleyball to be precise.
After April Ross and Alix Klineman gave the United States the gold in women’s beach volleyball, their compatriots stormed into the final of the women’s volleyball with a straight-set victory over Serbia in the semifinal.
The US won 25-19, 25-15, 25-23 in an hour and 20 minutes to set up a final clash on Sunday with Brazil, which beat Republic of Korea, also in straight sets, 25-16, 25-16, 25-16.
It was a sweet revenge for the Americans against Serbia in the match between the bronze and silver medallists from the last Olympics. Five years ago in Rio at this stage, they had lost to their European rivals.
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They have an excellent chance to win their first ever Olympic gold in the event– after collecting three silver and two bronze, the last of which came in Rio.
Their performance in the semifinal at the Ariake Arena certainly has raised hopes of the gold. They were too good for a strong Serbian side.
Late in the opening set, Serbia had shown some pluck, saving four set points before a smash from Foluke Akinradewo ended that fightback. The Serbians could not quite replicate such resilience in the next two sets as they failed to stretch the match.
The US was strengthened by the return to the squad of setter Jordyn Poulter, whose ankle injury had forced her to miss the quarterfinal against the Dominican Republic. Jordon Thompson is still nursing her ankle injury though, but her replacement Andrea Drews rose to the occasion once again, scoring 17 points, more than any of her teammates.
Jordan Larson (15) was the other main scorer for the Americans, while Tijana Boskovic (19) stood out for Serbia.
The results (semifinals):
United States bt Serbia 25-19, 25-15, 25-23
Brazil bt South Korea 25-16, 25-16, 25-16.
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