COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (June 7, 2016) – The 2016 Olympic Games women’s indoor volleyball pool play schedule was announced today and the world’s top-ranked U.S. Women’s National Team will play all five of its matches in the second session each day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Team USA opens Pool B action on Aug. 6 versus NORCECA rival Puerto Rico at 5:05 p.m. local time, followed by the Netherlands on Aug. 8 at 3 p.m. The Americans challenge Serbia on Aug. 10 and Italy on Aug. 12 with both matches at 3 p.m. The U.S. concludes pool play against second-ranked China on Aug. 14 at 5:05 p.m.
All matches will take place at the iconic Maracanãzinho, with three sessions a day. Each session will include two matches, with the first session running from 9:30 a.m. to 1:20 p.m., the second session from 3-6:50 p.m. and the third session from 8:30 p.m. to 12:20 a.m., all local time.
The top four teams in the two Olympic groups advance to the quarterfinals on Aug. 16. The top seed in each pool will face the fourth seed in crossover competition, while a drawing of lots will determine crossover quarterfinal opponents for the second- and third-place teams in both pools. The winners of the quarterfinal matches advance to the semifinal medal round on Aug. 18. The tournament concludes on Aug. 20 with the gold- and bronze-medal matches.
The U.S. defeated China in the 2014 FIVB World Championship gold medal match to start a string of six titles in seven tournaments. However, China won the 2015 FIVB World Cup even though losing to the Americans along the way. Serbia, which finished second at the World Cup, defeated the U.S. during the World Cup competition.
Team USA defeated Puerto Rico, which is making its Olympic debut in women’s volleyball, on the second day of the 2016 NORCECA Olympic Qualification Tournament held Jan. 7-9 in Lincoln, Nebraska. The U.S. has not played the Netherlands since a 3-0 victory in the 2014 FIVB World Championship. However, the two teams will meet on June 25 in the second to last match of the 2016 FIVB World Grand Prix preliminary round in Hong Kong.
The U.S. Women begin their last preparations for the Olympic Games starting Friday as the nine-match FIVB World Grand Prix preliminary round opens up. In Pool A in Ningbo, China, Team USA plays Germany on June 10 and Thailand on June 11 at 3 a.m. ET, before facing host China on June 12 at 7:30 a.m. ET. All three matches will air tape delayed on UniversalHD at 8 p.m. ET on the day of the match.