PARIS - The U.S. women's volleyball team encountered a tough start during their Olympic title defense at the Paris Olympics 2024. Despite losing the first two sets to China in a closely contested match on Monday, the Americans managed to rally and showcase their resilience in a thrilling five-set encounter.

Following China's five-set victory over the reigning champions, both teams scored an equal number of points, leaving the Americans with a sense of relief after a challenging start. Setter Jordyn Poulter commended her team's fighting spirit, emphasizing the importance of learning and improving from the experience.

"I'm really proud of our fight. You know, it's not easy to go from being down 0-2 to fight neck and neck in the fifth like that," Poulter said. "We have a lot that we can learn from here, a lot that we can improve and get better at, and we don't want to peak too early."

Blocker Haleigh Washington echoed Poulter's sentiments, highlighting the team's promising performance in the later sets against China. She emphasized the significance of securing points in the pool play matches as the Americans prepare to face Serbia in their next match on Wednesday, followed by a showdown against host nation France on Sunday.

Coach Karch Kiraly praised the team's resilience in fighting back from a 2-0 deficit against a formidable China team, emphasizing the importance of attention to detail in upcoming matches. The top two teams in each pool, along with the top two third-place teams, will advance to the knockout round, with tiebreakers based on wins, total points, and set and point ratio.

The Americans, with several players from the 2020 gold medal-winning team, arrived in Paris as the fifth-ranked team in the world. However, they faced a strong challenge from sixth-ranked China, who claimed the first two sets convincingly before the Americans clawed their way back into the match.

Despite a valiant effort in the later sets, the U.S. team narrowly fell to China in the tiebreaker, demonstrating the fine margins in elite-level competition. With key matches ahead in the preliminary round, the American women's volleyball team is focused on regrouping, learning from their early challenges, and building momentum as they aim to secure success at the Paris Olympics 2024.