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    • US men’s volleyball team off to a good start on Olympic redemption tour
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    US men’s volleyball team off to a good start on Olympic redemption tour

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    PARIS — Max Holt was on the 2016 bronze medal-winning U.S. men’s volleyball team. And like most of his current teammates, he was on the team that flopped at the last Olympics.

    The Americans did not survive the group stage in Tokyo and finished in a disappointing tenth place.

    “Very disappointing,” Holt said. “I think that’s in the back of everyone’s mind. We left a bad taste in our mouth, and absolutely, we’re here to prove we’re a contender.”

    So far so good.

    The U.S. improved its record to 2-0 at the Paris Games with a thrilling — and crucial — five-set win over Germany on Tuesday, taking control of its group and all but ensuring the Americans would advance to the quarterfinals regardless of what happens in their final preliminary round match against Japan.

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    Their second win of the tournament looked easy for a while. But it wasn’t. After losing the first two sets, Germany came back to win the next two and force a deciding fifth set. The U.S. won 25-21, 25-17, 17-25, 20-25, 15-11, taking the final set largely on a 6-0 run that shifted the momentum that had been building in Germany’s favor. That run was fueled by Holt serving consecutive aces.

    “I just felt like we needed something extra there,” he said. “… This was a great test for our team. In big Olympic moments, this was huge to keep that composure.”

    Looking at the bigger picture, these two opening victories (the US beat Argentina on Saturday) were indeed hugely important for an experienced national team that entered Paris with the Tokyo performance still fresh in their minds.

    “We wanted to do better,” said U.S. coach John Speraw, who is also back in his role from the Rio and Tokyo Games, “and as I’ve said in a number of interviews, I want that for them. Because they’ve been so successful. The last Olympics weren’t great, but all those other tournaments where they’ve been so successful, I think they wanted to come back and be as successful here. …

    “There are bigger things here. When you represent the United States of America, it’s not about just winning a volleyball tournament. This is not just a volleyball tournament.”

    What are their chances? It looks better.

    Consistency has been an issue for this U.S. men’s team of late. But the Americans are still ranked No. 6 in the world, seen as possible contenders in Paris, while not favored by current powerhouses Poland, Italy or hosts France. Even in their preliminary pool, Japan is ranked No. 3, ahead of them.

    So holding on to beat Germany – who defeated Japan in five sets in their opening Olympic match – could prove crucial. Volleyball changed its format for these Games, with four teams placed in three separate pools, rather than the previous arrangement of two groups of six teams. While that has meant more rest time between matches, it has also increased the significance of each preliminary round match.

    Tuesday’s result put the U.S. at the top of its group with five points (a win in five sets is worth two points, as opposed to three for wins in three or four sets). Germany has three. Japan (one) and Argentina (zero) face each other on Wednesday in the second Olympic match for each.

    Ultimately, the top two teams in the pool automatically advance, while the third-placed team has a chance depending on how it performs against the third-placed teams in other pools.

    Even though it’s not official yet, the Americans can assume they will play through to the medal round.

    “That was a goal, right?” Speraw said. “But we have aspirations to do great things in this tournament. Winning is important. Let’s keep going.”

    While the U.S. women’s volleyball team has won a medal at the past four Olympic Games, including a gold medal in Tokyo, the U.S. men’s — with the exception of gold in 2008 and bronze in 1992 and 2016 — have declined somewhat since winning back-to-back gold medals in 1984 and 1988.

    The goal here in Paris is clear. And it is closer than a few days ago.

    “We’re here to get gold,” Holt said. “That’s our mission.”

    You can reach Gentry Estes at [email protected] and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @Gentry_Estes.

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