The number-one ranked United States women’s volleyball team was forced to work long and hard to get past the No. 3-ranked Chinese 26-24, 25-16, 31-29.
The U.S. team had players which were off—Jordan Larson, in this case—and substitutes which played career-best games—Megan Hodge in this case. Seeing Larson was struggling, coach Hugh McCutcheon brought on Megan Hodge, who contributed 18 kills and seven blocks.
Even with great games from Hodge, five-time Olympian Scott-Arruda (11 blocks,) Nicole Davis (24 digs,) and Destinee Hooker (17 spikes, two aces,) the U.S. women were still pushed to their limits by the skilled Chinese side.
China took a 23–20 lead in the first set; the U.S. fought back with a six–one run to win the set. Undaunted, the Chinese women stayed strong at the start of the second set, leading 8–5 at the first technical time-out (mandated breaks when a team scores eight and 16 points in a set.)
The U.S. responded with a 12–2 run, on the powerful hitting of Hodge and Hooker. USA won the set 25–16, the only set that wasn’t a struggle.
China kept the third set close, tying the score at 17 and taking the lead on a series of spikes by Hui Ruoqi and Zeng Chunlei. The end of the game progressed in a pattern: a U.S. player, usually Megan Hoodge, would spike so hard the Chinese couldn’t return it, and would then receive serve and hit a kill of their own. The game was tied at each point from 24 to 29—neither team could get two in a row to close out the set.
At 29–28 the Chinese finally got a good block on Megan Hodge—so the U.S. set for Hooker to each 30–29. On the sixth U.S. match point, the set again went to Hooker, and instead of firing it hard into the waiting block, she hit it softly at an angle and out of bounds to win the match.
When asked by NBCSports about her game-winning off-the-bench performance, Megan Hodge responded, “Our team needed me at that moment and so I just tried to come in and help the team.”
About the 12–2 run which gave the team the second set, Hodge said, “ We relaxed a little bit and we got into our rhythm, and we played hard.”
And what about that third set, with six set points? “We’re all super-competitive and we know how important that match is, and every point counts, so we were just trying to take it one at a time and get the win.”
China showed tremendous skill and good power. The U.S. showed adaptability and great defense, plus unstoppable power. Each team forced the other to play three sets of amazing volleyball. The best part of this game is the fact that it could be replayed in the medal rounds.
