After redeeming itself for crashing out of pool play in Tokyo, it was time for Team USA to set its sights towards the medals against Brazil in the quarterfinals.
Brazil squeaked through in Pool B, but as six-time medalists, is always a threat to make a deep run. The U.S. won all three games in pool play and took eight points, good enough to be the second-seeded team in the knockout rounds.
Team USA showed why in the first set as it battled back after trailing for the majority of the first set. A massive ace from Taylor Averill tied the set at 19, then another from Micah Christenson gave his team the lead at 22-21. It took overtime, but the United States came out on top 26-24 behind an efficient offensive effort (13/27 on swings) and five points from Torey DeFalco on 5/10 swings.
Perhaps seeing the match slipping away, Brazil turned up the pressure after the U.S. took a 21-16 lead late in the second set and forced it into overtime. The U.S. had numerous chances to put the set away, but Brazil used incredible defense to keep the U.S. from finishing it off. Trailing 28-29 and facing set point, Team USA's Aaron Russell--tremendous until this point--missed wide on a big swing and gave Brazil the set.
Russell had nine points at that point in the match, one of which came on an incredible diving dig and spike, but that miss overshadowed what had been a great performance so far.
A 2-0 lead would have put all the pressure on Brazil, but the Americans gave it away and suddenly were right back in a dog fight.
However, they were not phased and responded back with a dominant 25-19 third set victory. They were led by 37-year-old Matt Anderson who turned back the clock in his fourth Olympics with a huge hitting performance. Through three, Anderson had 15 points on 12/20 swings and three blocks. Right behind him was DeFalco who also got it going in the third and upped his total to 13 on 12/24. The U.S. in total was 16/37 attacking in the third set and never trailed in the set after taking a 5-4 lead.
In the fourth set, Team USA once again grinded out a tight set early and opened a lead late. Brazil bought it close at 21-19, but the U.S. scored the final four points of the match to take the win. It was Averill who came through for the U.S. with the kill after battling pain all night, perfectly encapsulating the effort his team has shown so far in these Olympics.
Anderson finished as the night's leading scorer with 20, while DeFalco had 16 and Max Holt added 13.
This is the seventh time the United States has made the semifinal and it has come away with medals from five of those appearances. After crashing out in pool play in Tokyo, having another shot at a medal is a massive accomplishment for the United States. The U.S. can join Italy, Brazil and the Soviet Union as the only countries with six medals in men's Olympic volleyball, barring Italy does not win one of its own.
For Brazil, this tournament will go down as a huge disappointment. The volleyball powerhouse had made five straight semifinals and has now missed the medals twice in a row, something it had not done since 2000.
The United States will face Poland in the first semifinal Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET. Poland is looking for its first medal since 1976, and is in the semifinal for the first time since 1980 after losing at the quarterfinals stage of the last five Olympics.