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Check out all the Olympic men’s volleyball pool-play finale matches to follow today and how to follow them live. In addition, to view all the possible quarterfinal berths and seeding scenarios for each team, click here.
United States (2-2, 6 points Pool B) vs. Mexico (0-4, 0 points Pool B)
Match vitals: 9:35 a.m. (CST) in Rio
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, In-match tweets
World rankings: United States (No. 5); Mexico (No. 26)
Olympic all-time series: United States leads 1-0
What to know: It all comes down to the pool-play finale for United States to continue its quest for the nation’s first men’s volleyball gold medal in eight years. The United States will play last-place Mexico in a near must-win match in order to clinch a top-four finish in Pool A and a berth to the quarterfinals. Despite losing its first two matches to start its Olympics, the United States rallied to beat the host-nation Brazil and France to move into a four-way tie for second place in Pool A. Opposite Matt Anderson and outside attacker Matt Anderson, two former Penn State All-Americans, each enter the final day of pool-play tied for second in the tournament with 63 kills. In addition, Anderson had a tournament-high 23 kills in a four-game victory against Brazil on Thursday and has at least 13 kills in every match so far this Olympics. Russell competing in his first Olympics has double-digit kills in every match, including a team-high 15 kills in the four-game win versus France on Saturday. Setter Micah Christenson also has guided the U.S. offense to more than a .350 attack percentage in two of its last three matches. In addition, the two-time Lloy Ball Award winner is second at the Olympics with an 11.07 assists per game average. Mexico has not held its opponents below a .400 attack percentage in its first four pool-play matches. Former Penn State All-American Carlos Guerra is among Mexican leaders with 28 kills, including having a team-high 10 kills against Canada on Thursday. Mexico in that three-game loss, though, was held to less than a .200 attack percentage for the third consecutive match. Along with Mexico’s offensive struggles, the United States has two of the top defensive players so far in the Olympic tournament. Libero Erik Shoji has a tournament-best 30 digs and double-digit digs in the last two U.S. matches. In addition, middle attacker Max Holt is one of four players in the Olympic tournament with at least 10 blocks. If the United States beats Mexico, it will clinch a quarterfinals berth for the fourth consecutive Olympics. The team can potentially finish as high as the No. 2 seed in Pool A depending on the pool’s match results throughout the day. This will be the first time United States has played an Olympic match against Mexico since 1968. In addition, it will be the first meeting between the two teams in this Olympic quadrennial. Mexico, which has been eliminated quarterfinals consideration and has won one game in its first four matches, traditionally competes in a lower group than the United States in FIVB World League play. The nation is making its first Olympic appearance in 48 years after winning a qualification tournament this summer to earn one of the final Olympic berths.
Argentina (3-1, 9 points Pool B) vs. Egypt (1-3, 3 points Pool B)
Match vitals: 7:30 a.m. (CST) in Rio
Follow live: Live stats, Online video
World rankings: Argentina (No. 6); Egypt (No. 20)
Russia (3-1, 8 points Pool B) vs. iran (2-2, 7 points Pool B)
Match vitals: 1 p.m. (CST) in Rio
Follow live: Live stats, Online video
World rankings: Russia (No. 3); Iran (No. 10)
Poland (3-1, 9 points Pool B) vs. Cuba (0-4, 0 points Pool B)
Match vitals: 3:05 p.m. (CST) in Rio
Follow live: Live stats, Online video
World rankings: Poland (No. 2); Cuba (No. 17)
Italy (4-0, 12 points Pool A) vs. Canada (2-2, 6 points Pool A)
Match vitals: 6:30 p.m. (CST) in Rio
Follow live: Live stats, Online video
World rankings: Italy (No. 4); Canada (No. 12)
Brazil (2-2, 6 points Pool A) vs. France (2-2, 6 points Pool A)
Match vitals: 8:35 p.m. in Rio
Follow live: Live stats, Online video
World rankings: Brazil (No. 1); France (No. 11)