PARIS – Former Penn State Women’s Volleyball stars Haleigh Washington ’18 and Micha Hancock ’15 helped Team USA take down Serbia 3-2 (25-17, 25-20, 20-25, 14-25, 17-15) in a thrilling match Wednesday at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
It was a near must-win situation for USA, the defending Olympic champion, against the two-time defending world champion, if they wanted to advance past pool play. USA is now 1-1 with three points, picking up one point in a five-set loss to China and two points with the five-set win over Serbia.
Washington finished with 10 points on five kills, four blocks and an ace. Hancock, who entered the event as an alternate but was activated to the official roster Tuesday, tallied 11 assists and one ace.
USA was down 7-5 in the fifth set and still trailed 9-8 before going on a 4-0 run to take a 12-9 lead. The defending champion put itself in great position with a 14-11 advantage, but Serbia responded with a 3-0 run to temporarily stave off defeat. Eventually, USA secured the win on its fifth chance at match point following a Serbia attack error.
Both Washington and Hancock helped USA win its first gold medal in women’s volleyball at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
USA wraps up pool play with a match against host France on Sunday at 7 a.m. ET. A win would ensure a spot in the quarterfinal round.