ARLINGTON, Texas — USA coach Karch Kiraly checked out his watch. It was a couple of minutes earlier than 10 p.m. Saturday and he rapidly did the mathematics. His crew needed to be again on the court docket and prepared for first serve in 16 hours.
It will likely be in opposition to Poland within the Volleyball Nations League bronze-medal match, a 2 p.m. Sunday begin for 2 groups that have to bounce again in a rush.
“Dinner, mattress,” USA setter Micha Hancock mentioned. “And getting quite a lot of electrolytes.”
Prime-seeded Poland acquired swept by fourth-seeded China earlier than the USA fell behind two units to none after which staged a livid rally that got here up quick 25-21, 25-14, 24-26, 27-25. Each matches have been performed earlier than sellout crowds of 6,300 within the Faculty Park Middle on the College of Texas-Arlington.
“When you’ve a match like that it’s form of a race to the end,” Kiraly mentioned. “You solely have three units to attempt to discover some solutions and we have been comfortable to get to a solution that prolonged it to a fourth. We wish to be drawback solvers and we’ve acquired to be trying to find solutions and adjustments and issues like that and we acquired ourselves ready.”
Saturday night time, the large reply was outdoors hitter Ali Frantti, who subbed for Avery Skinner at the beginning of the third set. Frantti had 12 kills with three errors in 27 assaults, made an instantaneous impression that included some spectacular digs and continued the USA’s pattern of taking part in anybody anytime and getting robust manufacturing.
“You simply must be prepared for something. That’s simply my mindset,” Frantti mentioned. “We now have an excellent crew and we’ve nice expertise and anybody can play at any time. For me I used to be simply attempting to remain targeted and after they wanted me I needed to be prepared.
“I wish to be an power particular person and convey slightly hearth. When that occurs, I really feel prefer it’s a sequence response and folks can play with their chests out and I simply needed to be a distinction maker.”
They virtually pulled it off after taking part in the primary set on their heels and getting blasted within the second.
“We performed an excellent match,” Türkiye coach Daniele Santarelli mentioned. “The primary set, we started with some errors, significantly on blocks, and we weren’t so aggressive, however the second set we performed an incredible set. The third set was unbelievable. We have been forward 24-22 and we had three alternatives to win the set in opposition to among the finest groups on this planet … I’m happy with my crew, however that is solely the semifinals, it’s not the ultimate.”
Within the third set, Ebrar Karakut hit lengthy to make it 25-24 USA. Then Frantti had an unbelievable dig on Karakut in the course of the ensuing rally after which she ended it with a back-row assault.
The People staged an incredible comeback to get an opportunity to ship it to a fifth set, rallying from a 24-21 deficit to take a 25-24 lead on an enormous block by Asjia O’Neal, who began the fourth set. However Karakut, who was the one blocked, acquired a kill to tie it.
At 25-25, Khalia Lanier had an enormous swing, but it surely went out after which Zehra Gunes blocked Jordan Thompson’s back-row assault to finish it.
Lanier led the USA with 16 kills. She had 5 errors in 37 assaults. Annie Drews had 12 kills, 9 within the first set. Hancock had 4 kills and two blocks. Chiaka Ogbogu had two kills, three blocks and an ace.
The People had 14 service errors and three aces. Türkiye had eight errors and two aces.
“There was lots that wasn’t going that tremendous, lots that was tough, however we truly had a an opportunity … to make it go 5. So there are issues we’ve to scrub up, for certain, however I’m additionally happy that we got here up with some solutions that put crew in hassle,” Kiraly mentioned.
“That’s an excellent crew and so they’re taking part in actually good volleyball proper now. Units three and 4, we’re taking part in them mainly lifeless even, however we noticed them two and that’s robust to return again from.”
Türkiye’s Melissa Vargas had 20 kills, two blocks and an ace. Karakut had 11 kills, three blocks and ace and seemingly owned the USA within the second set. Erdem had 4 kills in seven errorless assaults and two blocks and Gunes had 5 kills and 4 blocks.
“We knew it was going to be a extremely robust recreation, as a result of the USA, they know easy methods to play these robust video games,” Erdem mentioned. “And it was a troublesome recreation for us as a result of they have been taking part in at residence. We fought to the top. We had ups and downs, for certain, however in the long run I feel we have been robust and calm and we received.”
The USA had 31 errors in comparison with 19 for Türkiye. Each groups had 50 kills and the Turks led in blocks 19-14.
The USA beat Poland on June 28 in one of many closest, longest matches of the VNL marketing campaign, 17-25, 25-15, 27-25, 28-30, 16-14. The stats have been as shut because the rating, 73-72 USA in kills, 14-13 Poland in blocks, and every crew had 4 aces.
Drews led in that match with 18 kills, a block and an ace. Robinson had 17 kills and three blocks and Washington had 5 kills, 5 blocks and an ace. Two different gamers right here who performed in opposition to Poland have been Dana Rettke, who had 10 kills and three blocks and Frantti, who had 12 kills. Hancock set that match and had 4 kills, a block and two aces. Justine Wong-Orantes had 23 digs, probably the most by a USA participant on this VNL.
Türkiye and China haven’t performed on this VNL.
