Paris 2024: Les Beaux Jeux Olympiques

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Sept. 13, 2024) – Amidst the glamour and grandeur of Paris, the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games took place with athletes from around the world hoping to bring a tiny but shiny souvenir home with them in the form of a medal.

U.S. volleyball teams were hoping to be among the few to win medals in Paris. While not every dream came true, the City of Light provided a stunning backdrop for performances that excited and inspired U.S. volleyball fans.

U.S. Paralympic Women’s Sitting Team

The U.S. Women’s Sitting Team went into the Paris Paralympic Games as the two-time defending champion and acutely aware of the target on its back. Despite many good results since the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, the team was ranked No. 3 in the world going into Paris after not competing at the 2023 World Cup in Egypt.

An early highlight was when U.S. middle blocker Nicky Nieves, who had not competed at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games due to a positive COVID test, was named the female flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony.

Two days after the Opening Ceremony, the U.S. Women’s Sitting Team fell to China 3-1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-18, 26-24) at North Paris Arena. The U.S. team remained calm after the loss, knowing it has never beaten China in Paralympic pool play.

It came back with pool play sweeps of France and Italy to advance to the semifinals where it beat Brazil 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-14, 25-15).

The U.S. Women’s Sitting Team faced China again in the gold medal match and won 3-1 (25-21, 23-25, 25-20, 25-22) to become the three-time Paralympic champion. It was the fourth time the two teams had played in the Paralympic final.

Opposite Heather Erickson was named MVP and Best Attacker for the second time at the Paralympics.

Kaleo Kanahele Maclay was named Best Setter for the second time and Lora Webster took Best Blocker for the second time.

The U.S. Women’s Sitting Team has medaled in every Paralympics since the discipline was introduced for women in 2004.

U.S. Olympic Women’s Team

The U.S. Women’s Team won its first Olympic gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, but it went into Paris with some questions about the possibility of repeating.

Retirements and injuries hit the team hard after Tokyo. After a third-place finish at the 2022 Volleyball Nations League, it did not reach the podium at a major international tournament and went into Paris ranked fifth in the world.

A new Olympic format meant that the teams opened competition in three pools of four rather than two pools of six, as in the past. It meant less wear and tear on the athletes, but also gave them fewer chances for mistakes.

The U.S. Women opened pool play on July 29, three days after a wet Opening Ceremony on the Seine, with a 3-2 (25-20, 25-19, 17-25, 20-25, 15-13) loss to China. During the match, Head Coach Karch Kiraly brought in first-time Olympians Kathryn Plummer and Avery Skinner at outside hitter for veteran starters Kelsey Robinson Cook and Jordan Larson. Calling it his “slugger lineup,” Kiraly would start Plummer and Skinner for the rest of the U.S. matches.

Before the United States’ second pool play match against Serbia, the team announced it was bringing on official alternate Micha Hancock at setter for Lauren Carlini due to an injury. Hancock served as the backup setter for the next two pool play matches, a thrilling 3-2 (25-17, 25-20, 20-25, 14-25. 17-15) win over Serbia and a sweep (29-27, 29-27, 25-20) of host France.

Carlini returned to the roster for the quarterfinals where the U.S. swept Poland (25-22, 25-14, 25-20). In the semifinals, it beat Brazil 3-2 (25-23, 18-25, 25-15, 23-25, 15-11).

In the final, the U.S. Women ran into Italy and fell 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-17) to finish with the silver, the program’s fourth. The U.S. Women lead all countries with seven Olympic medals. They have won medals at the last five Olympic Games.

Chiaka Ogbogu was named Best Blocker.

U.S. Olympic Men’s Team

The U.S. Men went into Paris in hopes of redemption after not advancing from pool play at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Ten players returned from that squad for Paris in hopes of winning a medal.

The U.S. Men opened pool play on August 27 at South Paris Arena against Argentina, the last team to beat them in Tokyo and send them home from the Olympics. The redemption tour began with the United States’ sweep (25-20, 25-19, 25-16) of the South Americans.

The U.S. Men faced a tougher opponent in the second pool play match against Germany. The team looked to middle blockers Max Holt and Taylor Averill who served 11 aces to win 3-2 (25-21, 25-17, 17-25, 20-25, 15-11). The team’s final pool play win came August 2 against Japan 3-1 (25-16, 25-18, 18-25, 25-19).

In the quarterfinals, the U.S. Men beat longtime rival Brazil 3-1 (26-24, 28-30, 25-19, 25-19) thanks to a 20-point performance from opposite Matt Anderson.

In the semifinals on August 7, the U.S. Men put up a fight, but couldn’t beat Poland and fell 3-2 (25-23, 25-27, 14-25, 25-23, 15-13).

The U.S. Men played defending world champion Italy for the program’s third bronze medal on August 9 and won 3-0 (25-23, 30-28, 26-24).

Taylor Averill was named Best Blocker in his Olympic debut.

U.S. Olympic Beach Teams

Out of eight athletes competing for the U.S. Olympic Beach Team in Paris, seven made their Olympic debuts. Only Kelly Cheng, who had competed in Tokyo with partner Sarah Sponcil, was returning to the Olympic Games.

One perk for the beach teams was playing at Eiffel Tower Stadium, which sat in the shadow of the famous structure. Evening matches were highlighted by the Tower twinkling with lights in the background on the hour.

Cheng and partner Sara Hughes went into Paris ranked No. 3 in the world and were the defending world champions. The pair did not lose a set in pool play, sweeping Barbora Hermannova and Marie-Sara Stochlova of Czechia (21-16, 21-11), Clémence Vieira and Aline Chamereau of France (21-16, 23-21), and Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann of Germany,  (21-18, 21-18).

The pair won its pool and advanced to the Round of 16 where it battled to beat Italy’s Valentina Gottardi and Marta Menegatti of Italy 2-1 (21-18, 17-21, 15-12).

In the quarterfinals, Cheng/Hughes fell to Switzerland’s Tanja Hüberli and Nina Brunner 2-0 (21-18, 21-19) and finished tied for fifth. Hüberli/Brunner went on to win the bronze medal.

The U.S. pair of Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss were ranked No. 2 in the world and had won the 2023 Pro Beach Tour season title and had finished third at worlds.

Kloth/Nuss rolled through their first two pool play matches, sweeping Canada’s Heather Bansley/Sophie Bukovec (21-17, 21-14) on August 27 and Australia’s Mariafe Artacho Del Solar and Taliqua Clancy (21-16, 21-16) on August 29.

On August 31, Kloth/Nuss faced China’s Xue Chen/Xia Xinyi in the rain. Kloth/Nuss lost the first set 21-15 and won the second 21-16.

With the U.S. side leading 3-2 in the third, a thunderstorm near the stadium could no longer be ignored. Rain came down in buckets and lightning flashed ominously as everyone cleared the stadium.

After an hour-long delay, the players were invited to finish the match in front of a nearly empty stadium, except for NBA legend Lebron James and his family who waited out the storm. Kloth/Nuss won the match 2-1 (15-21, 21-16, 15-12).

The pair won its pool and advanced straight to the Round of 16 where it ran into Canada’s Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson, who beat Kloth/Nuss 2-0 (21-19, 21-18). The Canadian team went on to win the silver medal.

In the men’s tournament, the U.S. team of Miles Partain and Andy Benesh was the higher seed but lost its first pool-play match against Cuba’s Noslen Diaz and Jorge Alayo, 2-0 (21-18, 21-18) on July 27. Partain/Benesh came back to win their second match over Mohammed Abicha and Zouheir Elgraoui of Morocco, 2-0 (21-12, 28-26).

Partain/Benesh won its third pool play match 2-1 (21-17, 14-21, 15-8) over George Wanderley and Andre Loyola of Brazil and advanced to the Round of 16. The pair won that match over Paolo Nicolai and Samuele Cottafava of Italy, 2-0 (21-17, 21-18).

In the quarterfinal, Partain/Benesh fell to Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan of Qatar 2-0 (21-14, 21-16) and finished tied for fifth.

Chase Budinger/Miles Evans were the final U.S. beach team to qualify for Paris. They opened the tournament with a 2-0 (21-14, 21-11) pool-play win over France’s Youssef Krou and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat.

The U.S. pair lost its next two pool-play matches to Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot of the Netherlands and Pablo Herrera and Adrian Gavira of Spain. Budinger/Evans placed third in their pool and qualified for a lucky loser match, which they won over Thomas Hodges and Zachery Schubert of Australia 2-0 (21-19, 21-17) and advanced to the Round of 16.

In the Round of 16, Budinger/Evans fell to the defending Olympic gold medalists Anders Mol and Christian Sørum of Norway, 2-0 (21-16, 21-14). Mol/ Sørum went on to win the bronze medal. Budinger/Evans tied for ninth place.