After dropping their first two matches in Pool play the U.S. men’s volleyball team rebounded to win their final three matches and clinch third place in Pool A. As a result, the quarterfinal opponent for John Speraw’s team is Poland, which finished second in Pool B, with the matchup scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
Poland went 4-1 in pool play, with their lone defeat coming in five sets against Pool B winner Russia. Poland is looking to finish on a better note than they did in London four years ago, where they were eliminated in straight sets in the quarterfinal round by Russia. The U.S. met a similar fate in those Games, as they also exited the tournament via straight set loss in the quarters (to Italy).
David Lee, Taylor Sander and Aaron Russell have been three of the key players for the U.S., and they’ll need to be at their best if the Americans are to advance. The winner would get the winner of the quarterfinal match between Pool A winner Italy and Iran, which finished fourth in Pool B. On the other side of the bracket, Pool B winner Argentina faces hosts Brazil in what should be an intense affair, and Russia takes on Canada.
Wednesday’s Quarterfinal Matchups
Canada vs. Russia, 9 a.m. Eastern
U.S.A. vs. Poland, 1 p.m.
Italy vs. Iran, 5 p.m.
Brazil vs. Argentina, 9:15 p.m.
