Five years after their quest for a first Olympic gold medal was denied in the semifinals, the United States women’s volleyball team has returned to that stage after a relatively easy quarterfinal win.
The short-handed Americans overcame the absence of two starters to beat the Dominican Republic 25-11, 25-20, 25-19 on Wednesday and advance to the semifinals.
The U.S. will play the winner of the Serbia-Italy match on Friday for a spot in the gold medal game.
This marks the sixth time in the past eight Olympics that the Americans have made it this far in the tournament but are still seeking their first gold in the sport. They have gotten a medal the last three Olympics, getting silver in 2008 and ’12 and bronze five years ago in Rio de Janeiro.
“This program has had great success over the years,” U.S. coach Karch Kiraly said. “But we haven’t stood at the top of the podium yet. So our goal, our objective is always to try to do something that’s never been done before.
