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Michelle Bartsch-Hackley recorded 18 kills, one of four Americans in double figures, and the United States women’s national volleyball team earned a gold medal with a 26-28, 25-23, 25-23, 25-21 victory over Brazil in the championship match of the Volleyball Nations League Final Round in Rimini, Italy on Friday.
Stanford grad Foluke Akinradewo added seven kills and two blocks for the Americans (16-1, 2-0), who captured their third straight VNL title.
Bartsch-Hackley also had three blocks for a total of 21 points. Jordan Thompson, who played her final collegiate match at Stanford, and Andrea Drews each had 12 kills and Jordan Larson added 10. Drews scored 10 of her points in the fourth set.
“It was a long five weeks in the bubble. Everything has been long and we also had a roster selection in this time for the Olympics,” Bartsch-Hackley said. “I’m just really proud of the whole team, not just the 12 who are here, but 23 we have back home and I’m just really happy for us.”
Brazil won the first set, taking a 19-15 edge before the U.S. rallied to tie it at 21 and send it to extras before falling.
The Americans also recovered from an early two-point deficit in the second set to tie the match.
Brazil was ahead 22-21 in the third set when the U.S. scored three straight.
In the fourth set Brazil again took a four-point lead before Team USA charged back.
“We were focused on ourselves, trying to clean up our game,” Bartsch-Hackley said. “I think we have been a little bit sloppy, but also we have been playing with different line-ups. Every medal is different. Brazil is a super-strong team and we were just excited to come out and win.”
By Rick Eymer
By Rick Eymer
By Rick Eymer
By Rick Eymer
And as important as this match was to women’s VB fans, the only way I could find to watch it was on online streaming pay video— and we don’t stream. You’d think that something as important as this, which is a prelude to the Olympics (that is if they aren’t a superspreader event and canceled), would be readily accessible on network or cable TV.