PARIS (AP) — Italy beat the defending champion U.S. team Sunday to win gold in women’s volleyball at the Paris Olympics.
The victory came in straight sets, 25-18, 25-20, 25-17. The Italians ended a dominant tournament having lost just one set.
It’s the first medal in the sport for top-ranked Italy and sends the Americans home in disappointment after they won their first Olympic title in Tokyo. It’s a huge win for the Italians, whose previous best Olympic finish was fifth.
The victory came in front of a boisterous crowd at South Paris Arena, where many fans waved Italian and U.S. flags. People danced and cheered as the Italians romped to the decisive win.
When Italy scored the match point to end it, many of the players collapsed to the court, then began hugging in a huge scrum. Together they tossed veteran Monica De Gennaro into the air. De Gennaro is a 37-year-old, four-time Olympian.
The U.S. was up 6-5 in the third set before Italy scored the next seven points to take a 12-6 lead. The Americans fought back, scoring three of the next four points.
The U.S. got within 19-16 before Italy closed it out with a 6-1 run capped by the match point by Paola Egonu, who had a dominant performance, scoring 22 points.
The silver finish by the Americans gives them a seventh Olympic medal to make them the winningest country in the sport.
Italy swept Turkey in straight sets to reach the final while the U.S. beat Brazil in a five-set thriller for its spot in the game.
U.S. coach Karch Kiraly changed the lineup after a five-set loss to China on July 29 to start group stage play. He moved veterans Jordan Larson and Kelsey Robinson Cook to the bench in favor of Texan Avery Skinner and Kathryn Plummer.
The move worked and the team defeated Serbia the next time out to get back on track. But on Sunday, it wasn’t enough to get past the mighty Italian team and repeat as champions.
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