Undefeated Speraw-led Team USA volleyball heads to Paris Olympics quarterfinals
Coach John Speraw watches from the sideline. (Daily Bruin file photo)
Men's Volleyball
| No. 5 USA | 3 |
| No. 8 Argentina | 0 |
| No. 5 USA | 3 |
| No. 11 Germany | 2 |
| No. 5 USA | 3 |
| No. 2 Japan | 1 |
By Connor Dullinger
Aug. 4, 2024 7:14 p.m.
Three unbeaten Bruins in Paris.
UCLA men’s volleyball coach John Speraw led the United States men’s national volleyball team to three consecutive victories in the preliminary rounds of Olympic men’s volleyball.
The Americans – featuring UCLA alumni in setter Micah Ma’a and outside hitter Garrett Muagututia – finished their match play unrivaled after defeating Argentina, Germany and Japan. For the first time since 2016, the U.S. will advance to the Games’ knockout stage.
Team USA opened up its Olympic competition with a 3-0 sweep over Argentina, outscoring its foes 25-20, 25-19, 25-16. The Americans dominated the Argentinians on the court, hitting at an efficient .500 clip and tallying eight service aces, while Argentina failed to notch a single ace.
Speraw and UCLA alumnus Erik Sullivan were at the helm of Team USA – with Sullivan serving as team manager – and stymied Argentina’s offensive production. Argentina lost every set by a margin of at least five points and only reached 20 points in one set.
While Team USA made quick work of Argentina, their faceoff with Germany was engulfed in tension.
U.S. won the first two sets comfortably – 25-21 and 25-17, respectively. Germany resurged to clinch back-to-back sets, forcing a fifth and setting up the Germans to potentially manage a reverse sweep.
However, five service errors and three reception errors from the Germans in the final frame opened the door for the Americans to take the set 15-10.
With both sides playing evenly, it came down to five additional service aces and the mitigation of errors that made the Americans victorious. Muagututia added two digs for the Americans despite limited playing time.
The Speraw-led squad maintained its theme of dominance in its third and final group stage match against Japan. The Japanese fell to the Americans in four sets, failing to reach 20 points in any of the sets they lost.
Team USA proved most threatening at the net, hitting an efficient .608 hitting percentage and notching 10 blocks.
After going perfect in the preliminary rounds, Speraw’s unit will head to the quarterfinals in Paris on Monday.
Team USA is competing for its first Olympic medal since 2016 and first gold since 2008.
