Former Cincinnati Bearcat and volleyball sensation Jordan Thompson is hoping to be back on the court this week after rolling her ankle over the weekend at the Tokyo Olympics.At 6-foot-4, Thompson is a University of Cincinnati graduate, competing for Cincinnati from 2015-19.It was a huge loss for the team as the 24-year-old University of Cincinnati graduate and breakout star was the leading point scorer.She scored 34 points in the team's win over top-seeded China and was the first player to score over 30 at the Tokyo games. But, her first Olympic journey isn't quite over.Thompson posted to Instagram, thanking everyone for their support, saying in part "thankfully nothing serious is wrong with my ankle, can't wait to be back out on the court with this fearless group of women soon."Team USA took on Italy overnight, with Thompson cheering them on from the sidelines. The team got off to a tough start, losing the first set, but quickly rallied, winning the second set.USA and Italy traded wins in the third and fourth sets, but the US came out on top in the tie-breaker fifth set to move onto the quarterfinals.Coach Karch Kiraly knew there would be challenges and adversity to overcome if the U.S. women’s volleyball team wanted to achieve its goals at the Tokyo Olympics.He sure was right during pool play, and now the Americans are in position to make a run at their first gold medal in the sport after winning their group. “We have had our share and our team handled it superbly,” Kiraly said about the adversity. “They really stayed together. I look back and our substitute box is getting very lonely back there. There’s only three or four players there. So it’s getting to be a bit of an adventure. But our team played with great heart and played together.” In Kiraly’s first Olympics as a head coach, the Americans raced through their first six matches undefeated before losing in the semifinals to Serbia after star blocker Foluke Akinradewo Gunderson went down with a knee injury.The injuries to Thompson and setter Jordyn Poulter haven’t slowed down the U.S. team yet in Tokyo, with Annie Drews thriving in place of Thompson as an opposite and Micha Hancock stepping in at setter after Poulter got hurt.Poulter landed on a teammate’s foot in the third set and watched the end of the match from a wheelchair. She was to undergo tests on the ankle after the match to determine the severity of the injury. “We have 23 people that could have been on this roster,” captain Jordan Larson said. “We knew it was going to take a lot of us to find a way to win. We’re finding that now. We can have anybody at any point step in and take over a match. We have confidence and trust that people are going to do their job and execute at a high level. We’ve been talking about it and you’re just seeing it come to play now.”Drews led the team with 22 points in the five-set win over Italy in her first Olympic start.“Definitely a little nervous at the beginning, a good nervous,” she said. “But it’s a role I’ve played with our team before. I felt the trust they had in me. Obviously not the circumstances you’d like to be playing in, but we talk a lot about being 12 strong. So when our team needs something of any of us, we’re going to do our best to fill those shoes.” The next task for the U.S. team will be the quarterfinals on Wednesday, when the Americans will face the winner of the matchup played later Monday between Japan and the Dominican Republic.Serbia (4-1) swept South Korea earlier Monday, but both teams advanced to the quarterfinals out of Pool A along with Brazil (4-0) and the Japan-Dominican Republic winner.Italy (3-2) took second place in Pool B followed by Turkey (3-2) and ROC (3-2).The Russians will play the winner of Group A, which will be either Serbia or Brazil. A draw late Monday will determine the other two matchups.Defending champion China did not advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in 10 Olympic trips after star Zhu Ting was hampered by an injured right wrist. The Chinese were eliminated after losing their first three matches.“Any team in this tournament has shown they can be really good,” Larson said. “I think no one expected that maybe China would be out at this point. So really, anybody can have a night. I think we just got to be ready to control what we can on our side of the net and let the rest play out.”
Former Cincinnati Bearcat and volleyball sensation Jordan Thompson is hoping to be back on the court this week after rolling her ankle over the weekend at the Tokyo Olympics.
At 6-foot-4, Thompson is a University of Cincinnati graduate, competing for Cincinnati from 2015-19.
It was a huge loss for the team as the 24-year-old University of Cincinnati graduate and breakout star was the leading point scorer.
She scored 34 points in the team's win over top-seeded China and was the first player to score over 30 at the Tokyo games. But, her first Olympic journey isn't quite over.
Thompson posted to Instagram, thanking everyone for their support, saying in part "thankfully nothing serious is wrong with my ankle, can't wait to be back out on the ourt with this fearless group of women soon."
Team USA took on Italy overnight, with Thompson cheering them on from the sidelines. The team got off to a tough start, losing the first set, but quickly rallied, winning the second set.
USA and Italy traded wins in the third and fourth sets, but the US came out on top in the tie-breaker fifth set to move onto the quarterfinals.
Coach Karch Kiraly knew there would be challenges and adversity to overcome if the U.S. women’s volleyball team wanted to achieve its goals at the Tokyo Olympics.
He sure was right during pool play, and now the Americans are in position to make a run at their first gold medal in the sport after winning their group.
“We have had our share and our team handled it superbly,” Kiraly said about the adversity. “They really stayed together. I look back and our substitute box is getting very lonely back there. There’s only three or four players there. So it’s getting to be a bit of an adventure. But our team played with great heart and played together.”
In Kiraly’s first Olympics as a head coach, the Americans raced through their first six matches undefeated before losing in the semifinals to Serbia after star blocker Foluke Akinradewo Gunderson went down with a knee injury.
The injuries to Thompson and setter Jordyn Poulter haven’t slowed down the U.S. team yet in Tokyo, with Annie Drews thriving in place of Thompson as an opposite and Micha Hancock stepping in at setter after Poulter got hurt.
Poulter landed on a teammate’s foot in the third set and watched the end of the match from a wheelchair. She was to undergo tests on the ankle after the match to determine the severity of the injury.
“We have 23 people that could have been on this roster,” captain Jordan Larson said. “We knew it was going to take a lot of us to find a way to win. We’re finding that now. We can have anybody at any point step in and take over a match. We have confidence and trust that people are going to do their job and execute at a high level. We’ve been talking about it and you’re just seeing it come to play now.”
Drews led the team with 22 points in the five-set win over Italy in her first Olympic start.
“Definitely a little nervous at the beginning, a good nervous,” she said. “But it’s a role I’ve played with our team before. I felt the trust they had in me. Obviously not the circumstances you’d like to be playing in, but we talk a lot about being 12 strong. So when our team needs something of any of us, we’re going to do our best to fill those shoes.”
The next task for the U.S. team will be the quarterfinals on Wednesday, when the Americans will face the winner of the matchup played later Monday between Japan and the Dominican Republic.
Serbia (4-1) swept South Korea earlier Monday, but both teams advanced to the quarterfinals out of Pool A along with Brazil (4-0) and the Japan-Dominican Republic winner.
Italy (3-2) took second place in Pool B followed by Turkey (3-2) and ROC (3-2).
The Russians will play the winner of Group A, which will be either Serbia or Brazil. A draw late Monday will determine the other two matchups.
Defending champion China did not advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in 10 Olympic trips after star Zhu Ting was hampered by an injured right wrist. The Chinese were eliminated after losing their first three matches.
“Any team in this tournament has shown they can be really good,” Larson said. “I think no one expected that maybe China would be out at this point. So really, anybody can have a night. I think we just got to be ready to control what we can on our side of the net and let the rest play out.”
Source link
