Rio recap: Aug. 7
John Speraw and Team USA lost their first-round match in straight sets to Team Canada. The Americans will face the Italians on Tuesday. (Daily Bruin file photo)
By Daily Bruin Sports
Aug. 7, 2016 5:22 p.m.
This year, at the 2016 Summer Olympics, 36 past, current and future UCLA athletes will compete in Rio de Janeiro. Each day, the Daily Bruin will wrap up the different events with Bruin highlights, key performances and upcoming events.
Women’s beach volleyball:
USA vs. Poland
It started off so well for the Americans Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Sweat, with a solid game one victory over Poland’s Kinga Kolosinska and Monika Brzostek.
It was not to last.
Team USA fell to Poland in three sets (21-14, 13-21, 7-15) in the Rio Olympics women’s preliminary round.
Fendrick, a 2004 UCLA grad, anchored the team from the front with 14 spikes, five blocks and two aces. But it just wasn’t enough to stop Poland’s two-headed offensive attack of Brzostek and Kolosinska, who had 12 and 17 spikes respectively.
Written by Grant Sugimura, assistant Sports editor.
Women’s rugby:
USA vs. Australia, USA vs. New Zealand.
The Americans had a big day in rugby.
Team USA nearly upset top-seeded Australia in their final round-robin match. The Wallabies scored with zero seconds left in the game to draw even 12-12. Led by 2008 alumna and team captain Kelly Griffin, the Americans earned enough points from group play to qualify for a quarterfinal berth against undefeated New Zealand in the first Olympic rugby competition.
Against the Kiwis, Griffin attacked aggressively and ran often, trying to give her team an early advantage. But the New Zealanders struck late in the first half to lead 5-0. The Americans drew multiple penalties against the Kiwis, but neither team could capitalize in the second half. Team New Zealand moves on to the semifinals while Team USA wraps up its Olympic campaign with one win, one draw and two losses.
Written by TuAnh Dam, Sports editor.
Men’s volleyball:
USA vs. Canada
In a bit of a shocker, Team USA fell to Canada in three sets (23-25, 17-25, 23-25) – not the start coach John Speraw wanted for his young Olympic squad.
During the college season, Speraw is the head coach of the UCLA men’s squad. He also was a Bruin student-athlete who graduated in 1995.
Alongside him are Andrea Becker and Erik Sullivan, the team’s sports psychologist and team leader respectively. Becker was a UCLA assistant coach from 2012-2015 and Sullivan was an athlete who graduated with Speraw in 1995.
Thus, in a unique situation, UCLA has sent three coaches to the Olympics for men’s volleyball, rather than any players.
The USA men’s volleyball team is currently undergoing a youth movement, in which most of their players have never had any experience in the Olympics. This inexperience showed, as Team USA was never quite able to overcome a lead or maintain one for very long.
Written by Grant Sugimura, assistant Sports editor.
Women’s gymnastics:
Team USA
USA Gymnastics began their gold medal defense in Rio by turning in a dominant preliminary round showing. They picked up the top score in three rotations and second in the other, placing the Americans in first place heading into the final round. Former UCLA recruit Simone Biles, the dominant force in women’s gymnastics since the 2012 Olympics, set herself up to possibly win five gold medals. Madison Kocian, an incoming UCLA freshman, passed her first test of the Olympics with flying colors. Her place on the team was sealed by her prowess on the uneven bars, where she is a defending world champion, and she pulled off another stellar routine. The judges gave her a 15.866, the highest score of the preliminary round. Kocian and Team USA return for the team finals Tuesday.
Written by Winston Bribach, Daily Bruin reporter.
