You are no doubt aware that the Olympics are about to begin in Tokyo, including men’s and women’s, 6-player indoor, and 2-player outdoor. (Also para-olympics.) I don’t follow the sand game, but I love the indoor game. In 2012, in London, Maureen and I attended (in-person) every match, men’s and women’s, from the quarterfinals through the Gold Medal Games. I’ll be seeing a lot less of it this year, due to a family rafting trip.
Both men’s and women’s competition involves round-robin play in each of two 6-team pools, with the top 4 teams in each pool advancing to the quarterfinals. The U.S. women are in a pool with Italy, Russia, Turkey, China & Argentina. I haven’t kept up with recent international play (if any reader has, and wants to share their knowledge with the rest of us, please do), but the U.S. women are ranked #1 in the world. And our women typically have an easier path through pool-play than the men do, in that large numbers of girls are playing volleyball at a young age only in the U.S. and Brazil. Countries like Russia, China, Serbia, etc recruit tall 16 yr-olds and teach them volleyball; their girls weren’t going to 14 & under national tournaments like our girls do.
The U.S. men, who are also generally medal contenders, will face France, Russia, Tunisia, Brazil & Argentina in pool-play. Russia is always tough, as is, Brazil, Poland, Italy,* Croatia & Serbia. * In the 2016 Olympics, which I watched on T.V., the most exciting player in the world was a middle-hitter on the Italian men’s team. This guy was only 6-4, which is short for a men’s middle, but this guys was built like a linebacker – and he could hit with power with either hand! Tough to block a guy who hits with either hand.
Former Gophers Tori Dixon, Hannah Tapp and Sarah Wilhite are all on 6-woman “reserve roster,” along with former Badger setter Lauren Carlini, and former Stanford left-side hitter Kathryn Plummer*. * If Plummer didn’t make the team, this has got to be a strong team.
No former Gophers were named to the 12-woman Olympic Roster, but former Edina H.S. and Northern Lights star Jordan Thompson is on the squad. Her bio from her Cincinnati Bobcat page (where she clearly was a star) lists her as having been a star for Edina and Northern Lights, but I never heard of her. Most top MN volleyballers end up at Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Stanford, etc; not Cincinnati. My guess is, she was a late-bloomer, which is more common than you think. These days, athletes are often recruited at age 14; and excellent athletes that bloom late can slip under the radar.
Anyway, congratulations to Thompson, who will be representing Minnesota (our state, not our Gophers) in this year’s Olympics. She is an “opposite,” i.e., a right-side hitter (the position that Steph Samedy plays for the Gophers). I assume that the U.S. team will be playing a 5 – 1, with a libero and a D.S. (including one opposite), i.e., 8 players. The other 4 women on the 12-woman squad will be back-ups, used sparingly – except in the case of injury.
Given Thompson’s relative international experience, I am inclined to guess that she is the back-up opposite. But former Purdue star Annie Drews, the only other opposite on the roster is also a first-time Olympian (Drews does have more international experience), I don’t know which is the starting opposite.
Good luck to our men’s and women’s teams!