After going undefeated to this point in Rio de Janeiro, Team USA dropped the semifinal showdown 3-2, with Serbia taking the final set 15-13 after rallying from a multiple-point deficit.
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The top-ranked Americans had fought back to force a fifth set against Serbia before falling short – short of the gold-medal goal that had driven her and others back to the national team for one more Olympic cycle. The set went back and forth, until USA setter Alisha Glass started dictating play, repeatedly setting up Foluke Akinradewo for big spikes.
The U.S. got off to a good enough start, winning the first set 25-20 before Serbia won each of the next two, 25-17 and 25-21.
The match seemed to swing after Team USA star Foluke Akinradewo went down with an injury that appeared to affect her left leg in the second set.
The U.S. can still take home a medal, moving on to the bronze medal match Saturday to face the loser of China and the Netherlands.
U.S. will be rueing the missed chance to challenge for gold, with two-time defending champions Brazil – who beat them in each of the past two finals – already eliminated. The American basketball team also is expected to finish first.
“We are going after the bronze, that’s our goal now”, said USA captain Christa Dietzen, with tears in eyes as she recalled the distraction caused to her team by Akinradewo’s injury.
Late in the fifth set, US middle blocker Rachael Adams committed a service fault to hand Serbia match point and the eventual victory. After winning the world championship past year, the team arrived in Rio as the heavy favorite and went undefeated in pool play. Serbia is a great team.
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Coach Kiraly said Akinradewo was in pain and could not continue playing. The Dutch are competing in their first Olympics in 20 years. Its chances for that elusive gold looked even better after Brazil, its toughest rival, was upset in the quarterfinal round by China. “That’s what’s going to show and that’s what’s going to carry us through”. “I don’t know if it’ll happen four years from now or 52 years from now, but our job is to make an Olympic gold medal happen at some point for the history of the US program”.
