COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Aug. 13, 2021) – The U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team will play Rwanda, China and the team from the Russian Paralympic Committee, in that order, at the 2021 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

The U.S. Women’s Sitting Team is ranked No. 1 in the world and is the defending Paralympic champion.

It will open the 2020 Paralympic Games against world No. 8 Rwanda on Aug. 28 at 2 p.m. in Tokyo (1 a.m. ET, 10 p.m. on Aug. 27 PT).

On Aug. 30 in Tokyo, it will play No. 2 China at 6:30 p.m. (5:30 a.m. ET, 2:30 a.m. PT).

On Sept. 1 in Tokyo, the U.S. will face the No. 6 team from the Russian Paralympic Committee at 6:30 p.m. (5:30 a.m. ET, 2:30 a.m. PT).

The semifinals will take place on Friday, Sept. 3 and the medal matches on Saturday, Sept. 4.

The schedule is much different from a typical sitting tournament, during which teams might play up to two matches in a day. Due to restrictions in Japan due to COVID-19, there won’t be a lot outside activities for the team during its down time.

The tournament winner could be the country that best handles all the down time, U.S. Women’s Sitting Team Head Coach Bill Hamiter said.

“It’s going to come down to who manages the best,” U.S. Head Coach Bill Hamiter said. “Who can set themselves up to play, in spite of all (the restrictions).

“There are a lot of little things people don’t think about. But they are pretty important pieces.”

Like the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games were postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NBC has also released the TV schedule for the Paralympic Games at NBCOlympics.com.

Pool A
Japan
Brazil
Canada
Italy

Pool B
USA
China
Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC)
Rwanda

U.S. Women’s Sitting Team Paralympic Schedule

Saturday, August 28
1 a.m. ET USA v Rwanda (midnight CT; 2 p.m. in Tokyo)

Monday, August 30
5:30 a.m. ET USA v China (4:30 a.m. CT; 6:30 p.m. in Tokyo)

Wednesday, September 1
5:30 a.m. ET USA v RPC (4:30 a.m. CT; 6;30 p.m. in Tokyo)

Friday, September 3 – Semifinals
5:30 a.m. ET or 7:30 a.m. ET

Saturday, September 4 – Medal Matches
Bronze: 3:30 a.m. ET (2:30 a.m. CT; 4:30 p.m. in Tokyo)
Gold: 9 p.m. ET (8 p.m. CT; 10 a.m. on Sept. 5 in Tokyo)