The 2016 Summer Olympics have finished, and once again the United States brought home the most medals. Both of our volleyball teams helped secure medals for the U.S., and although the men’s and women’s teams did not earn gold medals, they both grabbed bronze medals after facing some extremely tough competition.
USA Men’s Olympic Volleyball Results
The men’s team has tasted success in previous Olympics including three gold medals (Beijing- 2008, Seoul-1988, and Los Angeles-1984) and a bronze medal at Barcelona in 1992. Coming into Rio de Janeiro, the team had high expectations, even though the team was only ranked #3 in pool A behind Canada and Italy. The Italian team beat the U. S. team 3-2 in a semifinal match which sent the United States into a crucial match against a Russian team that is the most decorated volleyball team in history.
After losing the first two games to the Russians, the U.S. team made an incredible comeback to take the match (23-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-19, 15-13). U.S. Men’s Head Coach John Speraw told teamusa.org, that he used substitutes to spark the team to victory. “I think it really took so much for us to come back and play after the disappointment of the Italian match (a loss in the semifinals),” Speraw said. “I was watching our guys in the first two sets… I could empathize with where they were. It was really, really hard. But before the match started, I had a pretty good suspicion that that would be the case and that we would have to go to our bench. I was prepared to do that early and did.”
USA Women’s Olympic Volleyball Results
The women’s team ranked in the top spot of pool B before tournament play began in Rio de Janeiro. In the past two Olympics, the U.S. team had earned silver medals, so expectations were extremely high for the team to take the gold. The Serbian team surprised the women’s team in the semifinals to take away the team’s chance to earn the first Gold Medal for the U.S. in women’s indoor volleyball. Two days later, the team defeated the Netherlands (25-23, 25-27, 25-22, 25-19) and captured the bronze medal.
According to teamusa.org, Head Coach Karch Kiraly was extremely proud of her team’s ability to refocus and win the bronze medal. “Our team dealt with some real pain and heartache, heartbreak, a couple of days ago,” Kiraly said. “I’m incredibly proud of how within hours they were preparing, carrying that heartbreak, but preparing to be good and to finish strong. I also never had any understanding of how good a bronze medal could feel, and it feels incredible right now. We’re so happy to finish this tournament on this note.”
High School, College or League Volleyball Awards
Your local volleyball players may not be competing for Olympic gold, silver or bronze medals, but a high quality trophy makes a great way to congratulate the winner of a league competition or state wide regional tournament. Hit Trophy makes some the finest awards for athletic contests for all levels of play from high school, college or beyond. We offer hundreds of sports awards and we have three spectacular volleyball awards in particular.
Many athletic directors, tournament directors, and volleyball coaches consider our Championship Volleyball Trophy the ultimate in trophies for men’s or women’s volleyball. The LC49B Championship Volleyball Trophy has been created from lead crystal! The crystal volleyball balances upon a crystal stem and stands nearly a foot tall. A gold name plate attached to the beautiful rosewood base allows our graphic artists to place up to three lines of text. We do all engraving absolutely free, and with this extraordinary award we will also include free delivery. Please players and coaches alike by awarding them this unique trophy!
Boy’s & Men’s Volleyball Trophies
Looking for a gender specific trophy for your men’s or women’s volleyball contests? We have those too! One of our bestselling awards, our Men’s Volleyball Trophy (item #CRY218) measures 2.5″ x 8.75″, and it features a 3-D rendition of a volleyball player spiking a ball over a net. The sleek and solid crystal column has a volleyball created from crystal on the top. This trophy is ideal for presenting to those who have an undying passion for volleyball that deserves to be recognized. Clean and classy in design, this trophy looks luxurious and exquisite while still being on the low end of the price scale and affordable for most budgets. Our team of laser engraving specialists will personalize the award free of charge with each purchase, so that you can present a truly unique and special award.
Girl’s & Women’s Volleyball Trophies
We also have fantastic women’s team trophies. Our CRY298 Women’s Volleyball Trophy makes an ideal award to present to an outstanding female volleyball player or female team. It stands 2.5″ x 8.75″ in size and features an impressive, three dimensional rendition of a volleyball player in action, spiking a ball over the net. Our experienced team of technicians uses an exclusive laser process to create the 3D rendition and produce a unique optical crystal trophy for an affordable price. The award comes with complimentary laser engraving so that you can reward your local volleyball players. No matter what level of competition they are at, our crystal trophy is one of the best ways to let them know that their commitment and skill is not ignored.
Hit Trophy wishes to congratulate all of the U.S. Olympic competitors who brought home medals from Rio de Janeiro especially our volleyball teams. We also wish good luck to those local volleyball players who work hard on their respective teams. Remember, when it comes time for you to recognize the talents your local teams have, we at Hit Trophy have the awards to help you!