2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic GamesAug 4, 2016 by Beverly Oden
2016 Olympics Rankings: #2 USA (Women)
2016 Olympics Rankings: #2 USA (Women)
The USA women's volleyball team clocks in at No. 2 in our 2016 Olympics 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, two days before the first serve, we profile the No. 2-ranked Poland men and USA women.
COUNTRY: USA
TOP PLAYERS
Kim Hill, Outside Hitter
Best server, fifth-best scorer, sixth-best spiker at World Grand Prix; MVP and third-best scorer World Championships
Foluke Akinradewo, Middle Blocker
Seventh-best server, ninth-best scorer at World Grand Prix; eighth-best server at World Cup
Jordan Larson, Outside Hitter
Fourth-best spiker, fifth-best receiver at World Grand Prix
RISING STAR TO WATCH
Rachael Adams | 26 | Outside Hitter
Second-best blocker, sixth-best scorer and 10th-best server at World Grand Prix
The USA women enter the Rio Olympics on a quest for the program's first gold medal. One of the most consistently successful women's programs in the world, the U.S. is participating in its 11th Olympic Games this summer. It has won three silver medals (1984, 2008, 2012) and one bronze (1992) but has yet to capture that elusive gold.
In 2012, the U.S. entered the London Olympics as the favorite but fell to No. 2 Brazil in the gold-medal match to take silver. The U.S. women annihilated Brazil in the first set of that match 25-11, but Brazil came alive in the second set and never looked back, winning the next three sets 25-17, 25-20, 25-17.
After winning gold at the 2014 World Championship, the U.S. women faced a tougher road to Olympic qualification than expected. With world No. 2 Brazil absent from World Cup in 2015, the U.S. women hoped to qualify for Rio by placing in the top two. Unfortunately, they placed a disappointing third in that tournament, missing out on a berth to Rio by just one match. The loss forced them to wait to qualify at the NORCECA Olympic Qualification Tournament, which they did with ease.
USA won the World Grand Prix in 2015 with an 8-1 record in the preliminary round, losing only one match to China in five. It stormed through the final round undefeated, sweeping Brazil and China.
At this year's World Grand Prix, the USA finished the preliminary round with an 8-1 record, once again losing only to China. The American women then beat China in three in the final round and faced Brazil in the gold-medal match. This time, Brazil took the gold medal after a hard-fought five-set battle.
Four years after the showdown in London's gold-medal match, USA and Brazil are once again the teams to beat in Rio and will most likely rise to the top of the field for a rematch of that 2012 final.
For the second straight quad, the USA enter the Olympics ranked No. 1 in the world. This team is a hard-hitting, big-blocking, tough-serving, cohesive unit that is capable of beating all challengers. If this tournament were taking place anywhere other than Rio de Janeiro, the Americans would be the natural gold-medal pick. Brazil and the U.S. are very evenly matched, but beating Brazil in the final in its home country will be an arduous task to say the least. The USA women should come out of their pool in first place and make their way to the gold-medal match. Expect them to put up a great fight and battle to the end, but they will most likely fall to the home team in the final.
FloVolleyball Women's 2016 Olympics Rankings
12. Cameroon
11. Puerto Rico
8. The Netherlands
6. Serbia
5. Japan
4. Russia
3. China
COUNTRY: USA
TOP PLAYERS
Kim Hill, Outside Hitter
Best server, fifth-best scorer, sixth-best spiker at World Grand Prix; MVP and third-best scorer World Championships
Foluke Akinradewo, Middle Blocker
Seventh-best server, ninth-best scorer at World Grand Prix; eighth-best server at World Cup
Jordan Larson, Outside Hitter
Fourth-best spiker, fifth-best receiver at World Grand Prix
RISING STAR TO WATCH
Rachael Adams | 26 | Outside Hitter
Second-best blocker, sixth-best scorer and 10th-best server at World Grand Prix
SYNOPSIS
The USA women enter the Rio Olympics on a quest for the program's first gold medal. One of the most consistently successful women's programs in the world, the U.S. is participating in its 11th Olympic Games this summer. It has won three silver medals (1984, 2008, 2012) and one bronze (1992) but has yet to capture that elusive gold.
In 2012, the U.S. entered the London Olympics as the favorite but fell to No. 2 Brazil in the gold-medal match to take silver. The U.S. women annihilated Brazil in the first set of that match 25-11, but Brazil came alive in the second set and never looked back, winning the next three sets 25-17, 25-20, 25-17.
After winning gold at the 2014 World Championship, the U.S. women faced a tougher road to Olympic qualification than expected. With world No. 2 Brazil absent from World Cup in 2015, the U.S. women hoped to qualify for Rio by placing in the top two. Unfortunately, they placed a disappointing third in that tournament, missing out on a berth to Rio by just one match. The loss forced them to wait to qualify at the NORCECA Olympic Qualification Tournament, which they did with ease.
USA won the World Grand Prix in 2015 with an 8-1 record in the preliminary round, losing only one match to China in five. It stormed through the final round undefeated, sweeping Brazil and China.
At this year's World Grand Prix, the USA finished the preliminary round with an 8-1 record, once again losing only to China. The American women then beat China in three in the final round and faced Brazil in the gold-medal match. This time, Brazil took the gold medal after a hard-fought five-set battle.
Four years after the showdown in London's gold-medal match, USA and Brazil are once again the teams to beat in Rio and will most likely rise to the top of the field for a rematch of that 2012 final.
PREDICTION
For the second straight quad, the USA enter the Olympics ranked No. 1 in the world. This team is a hard-hitting, big-blocking, tough-serving, cohesive unit that is capable of beating all challengers. If this tournament were taking place anywhere other than Rio de Janeiro, the Americans would be the natural gold-medal pick. Brazil and the U.S. are very evenly matched, but beating Brazil in the final in its home country will be an arduous task to say the least. The USA women should come out of their pool in first place and make their way to the gold-medal match. Expect them to put up a great fight and battle to the end, but they will most likely fall to the home team in the final.
FloVolleyball Women's 2016 Olympics Rankings
12. Cameroon
11. Puerto Rico
10. Argentina
9. Korea
8. The Netherlands
7. Italy
6. Serbia
5. Japan
4. Russia
3. China
2. USA
