Women's Sitting Team Drops Tough Opener at Paris Paralympics

PARIS, France (August 30, 2024) –The U.S. Women’s Sitting National Team fell to a familiar foe in the first match of the Paris Paralympics, 3-1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-18, 26-24) to three-time Paralympic champion China. The teams met in the gold-medal match in Rio and Tokyo with the U.S. earning the gold each time.

Losing to China in pool play is not new for the U.S. at the Paralympics. In fact, the U.S. has never beaten China in pool play in five meetings. The last two Paralympics, the U.S. lost to China 3-0 (Tokyo) and 3-2 (Rio) in pool before moving on to win gold.

“Our team is very used to being in this position, so we’re not afraid, we’re not panicking,” setter Kaleo Kanahele Maclay said. “It’s something that we are familiar with and we’re excited about it. Even when we came off the court, we chatted quite a bit about a few things that we can change. China did a good job of stat-ing us, and now it’s just going back to the drawing board and looking at our next game against France and starting there; taking it one game, one point at a time.”

The U.S. plays France on Sept. 1 at 11 a.m. Pacific time/2 p.m. Eastern time.

Opposite Heather Erickson paced the U.S. with 21 points on 18 kills and three blocks. Middle blocker Lora Webster led all players with seven blocks, adding two kills and an ace to finish with 10 points.

The U.S. finished with a 19-13 advantage in blocks, while China led in kills (48-40) and service aces (11-4). Errors were nearly even with the U.S. committing one more (25-24).

MATCH STATISTICS (PDF)

Outside hitter Katie Holloway Bridge scored 14 points on 11 kills and three blocks with middle Monique Matthews contributing 10 points on six kills, three blocks and an ace.

Tia Edwards led the team with two aces and added a kill, and U.S. flagbearer Nicky Nieves recorded two blocks and a kill. Kanahele Maclay finished with 27 assists.

After falling behind 5-3 to start the match, the U.S. went on a 6-1 run to take a 9-6 lead, capped by a Matthews block. An Erickson kill stretched the lead to five points, 14-9. A Webster block gave the U.S. its biggest lead of the set at 19-12 and forced China to use its second timeout.

China scored seven points in a nine-point stretch to pull back within two points, 22-20, but a hitting error and an Erickson kill set up set point, 24-20. After a China kill, Bridge finished the set with her third kill. Erickson and Matthews each scored five points on three kills, a block and an ace. Webster added four points with two blocks to go with an ace and a kill.

The U.S. jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second set with Webster and Erickson providing early blocks. The lead remained four points, 9-5, before China went on an 8-3 run to take the lead and force a U.S. timeout. Leading 15-14, China scored three consecutive points to take a four-point lead.

Trailing 21-16, the U.S. ran off four points in a row with Nieves recording back-to-back blocks. After taking a timeout, China scored the last four points of the set to even the match. Erickson led the way for the U.S. with five points on four kills and a block. Bridge and Webster each contributed three points on two blocks and a kill.

China started the third set by scoring six of the first eight points. The U.S. pulled within two points on five different occasions but could get no closer. China ran off five consecutive points to take a seven-point advantage, 17-10. A Bridge kill and consecutive aces by Edwards brought the U.S. within four points, 22-18, but China scored the final three points to take a 2-1 set lead. Bridge and Erickson each recorded five kills.

China scored the first four points of the fourth set and the advantage eventually grew to seven points, 13-6, leading to a U.S. timeout. Bridge scored the next three points, two on kills and the third on a block, to draw the U.S. within four points and force China to take a timeout.

An Erickson block on the next play cut the lead to three, 13-10, the closest the U.S. had been since 7-4. A block and kill from Erickson brought the U.S, within two points, 22-20 and cause China to take a time out. Three consecutive errors gave the U.S. its first lead since the second set. The U.S. had set point at 24-23, but China scored the final three points to take the match. Erickson scored six points on four kills and a pair of blocks.

“China’s a hard team. They come back, even if they’re down by 10; they’re not going to give up,” Matthews said. “We had a few errors that we can work on for ourselves, just little tweaks here and there, and we’ll be right back in it. It’s just one of those rivalries that I don’t think is ever going to end with how high intensity it is, and we can never let down on them. It’s always 100 percent the whole game. You can never know the outcome.”

Kanahele Maclay also gave credit to China and said the team is ready to get back to work.

“China had such a great game, but there are a lot of changes that we can make as a team,” she said. “To be honest, coming out with China is a tough way to start the Paralympics, but I think we started to rise to the occasion, and you saw that in the first set. It’s really just taking that energy and moving it in to the second set.

Paris Paralympics Hub | U.S. Women’s Sitting Team home

2024 U.S. Paralympic Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team

No., Name, Pos., Height, Hometown, USAV Region
1 Lora Webster (MB, 5-11, Point Lookout, N.Y., Garden Empire)
2 Bethany Zummo (L, 5-3, Dublin, Calif., Northern California)
3 Lexi Shifflett-Patterson (S/L, 5-4, Waseca, Minn., North Country)
5 Katie Holloway Bridge (OH, 6-3, Lake Stevens, Wash., Puget Sound)
6 Heather Erickson (OPP, 6-0, Fayetteville, N.C., Carolina)
7C Monique Matthews (MB/OH, 6-0, Ardmore, Okla., Oklahoma)
8 Whitney Dosty (OH/OPP, 6-3, Tucson, Ariz., Arizona)
9 Tia Edwards (OH/MB, 5-7, Skiatook, Okla., Oklahoma)
10 Sydney Satchell (L, 5-2, Windsor, Conn., New England)
12 Emma Schieck (OH, 5-7, Statesville, N.C., Carolina)
14 Kaleo Kanahele Maclay (S, 5-6, Oklahoma City, Okla., Oklahoma)
16 Nicky Nieves (MB/OH, 5-10, Kissimmee, Fla., Florida)

Alternates
18 Courtney Baker (OH, 5-9, Crofton, Ky., Pioneer)
22 MaKenzie Franklin (OH, 6-0, Red Wing, Minn., North Country)
24 Raelene Elam (OH, 6-1, St. George, Utah, Northern California)

Head Coach: Bill Hamiter
Assistant Coaches: Leo Filho, Michelle Goodall
Team Leader: Patrick Lawrence
Athletic Trainer: Kat King
Performance Analyst: Jeffery Hicks
Team Psychologist: Adam O’Neil
Athletic Performance Coach: Bobby Moore
Dietitian: Jacque Scaramella

U.S. Women’s Schedule for the 2024 Paralympic Games

Aug. 30: China def. USA, 3-1 (21-25, 25-20, 25-18, 26-24)
Sept. 1: USA vs. France, 8 p.m. Paris time/11 a.m. Pacific time (watch on Peacock)
Sept. 3: USA vs. Italy, 2 p.m. Paris time/5 a.m. Pacific time (USA and Peacock)
Sept. 4: Classification matches for 5th/6th and 7th/8th places
Sept. 5: Semifinals (Peacock)
Sept. 7: Medal matches (CNBC and Peacock)