The USA men’s indoor volleyball team is now 2-2. They lost to Brazil making the road to the medal rounds even more difficult. One more loss would probably mean getting on the podium is completely out of the picture. The team was looking really good, so what happened? We’ll break it down.

Set One

Matt Anderson and the Americans got out to a 5-0 lead with some early fireworks and intensity. Brazil wouldn’t stay down for long and came back with a run themselves. This time, it was a 9-5 run to give Brazil a 9-8 lead. Taylor Sandar tied it again at 16 as both teams were showing a lot of heart. As that continued, the set had to go to extra points. TJ Defalco and Anderson struck again to take the set 32-30. That is one of the highest scores in the games so far.

Set Two

The second set remained close, but Brazil had all the momentum and the extra energy. The Americans were holding their own against the defending gold medalists and one of their rivals. The set ended on a completely blown call by the officials. Brazil touched the ball four times, which is illegal. The USA sideline was irate as Brazil won the set 25-23.

Set Three and Four

A crazy and long rally ended with Brazil getting the point and taking a 5-4 lead. The US tried to get the momentum back. They seemed to be deflated after the missed call but tried to bounce back and stay alive. Brazil took the third set 25-21. Finally, the fourth set. The miscues continued for the Americans and they could not get over mistakes from early on. Brazil guaranteed themselves a spot in the quarterfinals with a 25-20 set win, which gave Brazil the win 3-1. The US men’s indoor volleyball team has very difficult matchup coming up against Argentina. This time, a loss would likely end all hopes and dreams of a gold medal. There is some work to do if they want continued success in these games like their female counterparts have had so far.

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