U.S. Women Drop Just One Match Heading Into Volleyball Nations League Final Round

The U.S. women's volleyball team celebrate at the Olympic Games Rio 2016  on Aug. 20, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The U.S. women’s volleyball team suffered the first blemish on an otherwise perfect record at the FIVB Volleyball Nations League tournament on Sunday, but the result was just that.
A blemish. 
The U.S. already knew heading into the match against China that it would be advancing to the semifinals. With the U.S. record standing at 14-1 since opening the tournament nearly two months ago, it’s already been a long but much appreciated opportunity to play together, against international competition, with the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 quickly approaching. When the U.S. opened against the Dominican Republic back on May 25, it was their first time playing together since they lost to the same nation in the final of the NORCECA Championship in October 2019. 
The tournament is being held in Rimini, Italy, in a bubble, and is broken down into groupings of three games. 
Ranked No. 1 in the world, the U.S. women were perfect through the first two matches against the Dominican Republic and Canada before dropping a set — but not the match — to Brazil. The next trio of games saw them take on Serbia, Netherlands and Thailand and they sailed through without losing a set, and that streak even continued through the next two games against Belgium and Japan. Turkey delivered a challenge, forcing the U.S. to a fourth set for just the second time, but the eventual victory clinched Team USA’s spot in the semifinals with another three games still left to play. 
In the last batch of games in pool play, the U.S. swept Poland then faced a tough opponent in Russia. Russia pressured throughout the first three sets, taking the middle one to force a fourth. 
Jordan Larson led the team with 19 points on a match-high 16 kills and added three aces, while Haleigh Washington scored 18 points on 13 kills and Annie Drews had 17 points on 13 kills, one block and two aces. 
The lone loss came against China, which swept the U.S. 
The tournament is now drawing to a close, with the semifinals scheduled for Wednesday followed by the bronze and gold medal matches on Thursday. The U.S. is attempting to win its third straight Volleyball Nations League title. 
Earlier this month the team announced its roster for Tokyo, including four Olympic veterans and eight newcomers. Larson and Foluke Akinradewo will each be making their third Olympic appearance, while Kim Hill and Kelsey Robinson will be going for the second time. The U.S. won the silver medal in Beijing in 2008 and in London in 2012, and bronze in Rio in 2016.