The world no. 6 Americans now occupy the top spot in Pool C in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 men’s indoor volleyball event.
Talk about a star-spangled start.
USA proved their mettle against Argentina, 25-20, 25-19 and 25-16 to notch their first win in Paris 2024 men’s indoor volleyball event early Sunday morning, (PH time) July 28.
The three-time Olympic gold medalists needed just three sets to put away Argentina, following up Pool C member Germany’s win over world no. 2 Japan.
[ALSO READ: Paris 2024: Germany stuns world no. 2 Japan to open men's volleyball play]
Aaron Russel came out swinging, spearheading the American’s offense with 15 points, built on 12 attacks and three aces with outside hitter Torey DeFalco chalking up 12 markers consisting of eight attacks, four aces, and one block.
Bruno Lima, on the other hand, took up the scoring cudgels for Argentina with eight points as no player from the Tokyo 2020 bronze medal squad cracked double digits.
USA's impeccable service was in full display behind a game-high seven aces and they took full command in the final set en route for a rousing win.
Trailing 9-10 in the second set, the Americans launched a quick 5-0 blitz behind some booming Russell service aces for a 14-10 lead. They never looked back and claimed a commanding 2-0 set lead courtesy off a DeFalco ace.
Earlier, USA regained their groove after an early exchange and took the opening set in 27 minutes, with Facundo Conte’s attack attempt sailing wide.
The Americans are making their 16th-straight Olympic men’s volleyball appearance, and are present in each edition of the Olympics that included volleyball in the quadrennial sporting event starting in Tokyo 1964. They also took a couple of bronze in and two bronze in the Barcelona 1992 and Rio 2016.
USA faces Germany in their next pool play on Tuesday, July 30 while Argentina braces for a tough task ahead against the bounce-back seeking Japan on Wednesday, July 31.
Story Summary:
- Team USA dominated Argentina in their opening match of the Paris 2024 men's indoor volleyball event, securing a straight-set victory (25-20, 25-19, 25-16) to notch their first win.
- Aaron Russell led the American offense with 15 points, including 12 attacks and three aces, while Torey DeFalco contributed 12 points with eight attacks, four aces, and one block, showcasing USA's strong service game with a match-high seven aces.
- USA's victory sets the stage for their next pool play against Germany on July 30, while Argentina prepares to face Japan on July 31.
[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital team. The summary was generated by AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]