US Women's volleyball: a rare PLEASANT surprise?

[The Bofa on the Sofa]

The US routinely puts in very strong women's teams into the olympics. In many respects, the women's teams tend to be stronger, relative to the world, than the men's teams. Consider, despite all the hype about the "Redeem" team, the women's basketball team has more solidly dominated the competition. Moreover, US women were favorites in more team events, including soccer, softball, and even water polo. Volleyball is a rare case where, at best, men were expected to be better than the women, although I don't think either were really expecting to medal, were they?

Given the US are favorites in everything, it can be hard to live up to expectations. Sometimes they pull them out (soccer, May/Walsh), and sometimes they lose (softball, water polo). But how many times in this olympics have we heard of US teams or athletes winning in cases when they WEREN'T expected to win? For example, the men's gymnastics team pulled off a bronze, and the TV announcers nearly wet themselves! I know the winner of the women's 110 m hurdles was not expected to win, but if the favorite hadn't stepped on the last hurdle, it wouldn't have even been close. But there was another surprising medal for the US.

I am disappointed that the women's volleyball team hasn't gotten more recognition. While we thought they could do it if they put everything together, I don't think most people thought they would be in the running for a medal. Yet here they are playing for the Gold.

They are a rare case of a pleasant surprise in this olympics for the US. Too bad they don't get recognized as such.

[BigTenVball]

It is a small community in vball, but, at least in Eastern Iowa, it was on the radio a lot in morning announcements.

And, that LoLo is from Iowa. Shame she lost that 110 hurdles, but, that has to have been the CLASSIEST interview from a losing athlete I have ever seen.

[The Bofa on the Sofa]

I thought LoLo was kind of funny. As she sat there, you could see how much she wanted to just say, FRICK! FRICK! FRICK! FRICK!

I really felt bad for her. I mean, what else is there to say.

And I did get PO'd at the winner. If I'm her, I think in my interview, I'm not saying, "I had a feeling I could pull off something big," it is more like, "Man, I caught a break. I'll take the win, though, but it's too bad what happened to LoLo."

As I said, if LoLo doesn't hit that hurdle, the race wasn't going to be close.