PARIS – The USA men’s volleyball team is headed to the semifinal round of the 2024 Paris Olympics with the help of three Penn State legends in a 3-1 (26-24, 28-30, 25-19, 25-19) win over Brazil on Monday.
Matt Anderson ’08 led all players in the quarterfinal match with 20 points on 17 kills and three blocks. His former collegiate teammate, Max Holt ’09, tallied nine kills, two blocks and two aces. Aaron Russell, a 2015 Penn State graduate, did his part with 11 kills.
Russell helped USA grab the early momentum with a clutch kill for the final point of set one. The attack was initially ruled out but was overturned as a challenge determined the ball went off a blocker’s finger.
Wednesday’s semifinal round of the Olympics features USA vs. Poland at 10 a.m. ET, followed by Italy vs. France at 2 p.m. ET. Both matches will stream on Peacock.
USA is a perfect 4-0 in the tournament. Prior to the win over Brazil, it went 3-0 in pool play with wins over Argentina, Germany, and Japan.