2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic GamesAug 2, 2016 by Beverly Oden
2016 Olympics Rankings: #4 USA (Men)
2016 Olympics Rankings: #4 USA (Men)
The USA men's volleyball team clocks in at No. 4 in our 2016 Olympics Volleyball Rankings.
The FloVolleyball Olympics Rankings will count down to the start of the indoor volleyball competition in Rio by highlighting one team per gender each day. Today, four days before the first serve, we profile the No. 4-ranked USA men and Russia women.
COUNTRY: USA
TOP PLAYERS
Matt Anderson, Opposite
Best server and eighth-best scorer at World Cup; 10th-best scorer and server, seventh-best blocker at World League; USA's best server, second-best spiker and third-best receiver at World League
Taylor Sander, Outside Hitter
USA's best spiker and receiver and second-best scorer at World League; 11th-best server at World Cup
David Lee, Middle Blocker
USA's best blocker and third-best scorer at World League; fifth-best blocker World Cup
RISING STAR TO WATCH
Micah Christensen | 23 | Setter
USA's third-best server and blocker at World League; Second-best setter and eighth-best server at World Cup
SYNOPSIS
Rio will mark the U.S. men's 11th Olympic Games, where they have to date earned three gold medals (1984, 1988, and 2008) and one bronze (1992). In 2012, they looked to be in great shape when they placed first in their pool with a 4-1 record and advanced to the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, a disappointing three-set loss to Italy in that round prevented them from defending their Beijing gold.
USA's 2016 World League results looked similar to that London performance. The team stormed through the preliminary round with an 8-1 record, and lost only to Brazil in four sets. But the U.S. was off of its game in the first match of the final round, and lost in four sets to Italy. That loss meant it would have to beat the No. 1 team in the world in three or four sets in order to make the medal round. Although the American men raised their game and were competitive, they lost to Brazil in five sets and did not make the semifinals.
The U.S. men were the very first team to qualify for Rio, and won the World Cup in 2015. Although Brazil did not participate in that tournament, the U.S. still achieved some great wins that included sweeps of Russia and Italy. It finished with a 10-1 record, with its only loss coming at the hands of Poland in four sets.
The American team returns only four Olympic veterans: Matt Anderson, David Lee, Reid Priddy and David Smith. But the team is loaded with new talent that you'll see in the starting line up, including outside hitter Taylor Sander, setter Micah Christensen and libero Erik Shoji.
PREDICTION
With so many newcomers, it's difficult to assess how this team will respond on the world stage, but the USA is dangerous and all the top teams know that. The U.S. men should learn from this year's World League experience and be better for it in Rio. Like most young teams, it's inconsistent at times, but when focused, it is a force to be reckoned with. The U.S. men have shown they can beat Brazil on occasion, but they will probably fall to them in pool play. Team USA can beat Mexico, Italy, Canada, and France and come out of the pool in second place. That gives it a favorable matchup in the quarterfinals, and a win there would put it in the medal round. If the USA catches fire, expect it to make a run at a medal and take home bronze, or even silver if the stars align.
11. Egypt
10. Cuba
9. Canada
8. Argentina
6. Iran
5. Italy
COUNTRY: USA
TOP PLAYERS
Matt Anderson, Opposite
Best server and eighth-best scorer at World Cup; 10th-best scorer and server, seventh-best blocker at World League; USA's best server, second-best spiker and third-best receiver at World League
Taylor Sander, Outside Hitter
USA's best spiker and receiver and second-best scorer at World League; 11th-best server at World Cup
David Lee, Middle Blocker
USA's best blocker and third-best scorer at World League; fifth-best blocker World Cup
RISING STAR TO WATCH
Micah Christensen | 23 | Setter
USA's third-best server and blocker at World League; Second-best setter and eighth-best server at World Cup
SYNOPSIS
Rio will mark the U.S. men's 11th Olympic Games, where they have to date earned three gold medals (1984, 1988, and 2008) and one bronze (1992). In 2012, they looked to be in great shape when they placed first in their pool with a 4-1 record and advanced to the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, a disappointing three-set loss to Italy in that round prevented them from defending their Beijing gold.
USA's 2016 World League results looked similar to that London performance. The team stormed through the preliminary round with an 8-1 record, and lost only to Brazil in four sets. But the U.S. was off of its game in the first match of the final round, and lost in four sets to Italy. That loss meant it would have to beat the No. 1 team in the world in three or four sets in order to make the medal round. Although the American men raised their game and were competitive, they lost to Brazil in five sets and did not make the semifinals.
The U.S. men were the very first team to qualify for Rio, and won the World Cup in 2015. Although Brazil did not participate in that tournament, the U.S. still achieved some great wins that included sweeps of Russia and Italy. It finished with a 10-1 record, with its only loss coming at the hands of Poland in four sets.
The American team returns only four Olympic veterans: Matt Anderson, David Lee, Reid Priddy and David Smith. But the team is loaded with new talent that you'll see in the starting line up, including outside hitter Taylor Sander, setter Micah Christensen and libero Erik Shoji.
PREDICTION
With so many newcomers, it's difficult to assess how this team will respond on the world stage, but the USA is dangerous and all the top teams know that. The U.S. men should learn from this year's World League experience and be better for it in Rio. Like most young teams, it's inconsistent at times, but when focused, it is a force to be reckoned with. The U.S. men have shown they can beat Brazil on occasion, but they will probably fall to them in pool play. Team USA can beat Mexico, Italy, Canada, and France and come out of the pool in second place. That gives it a favorable matchup in the quarterfinals, and a win there would put it in the medal round. If the USA catches fire, expect it to make a run at a medal and take home bronze, or even silver if the stars align.
FloVolleyball Men's 2016 Olympics Rankings
12. Mexico
11. Egypt
10. Cuba
9. Canada
8. Argentina
7. France
6. Iran
5. Italy
4. USA
