Brazil Upsets U.S. Women At Sitting Volleyball World Championships

The U.S. Women's Sitting Volleyball Team prepares for the women's sitting volleyball gold medal match during the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 on Sept. 05, 2021 in Chiba, Japan.

The last two times the U.S. women’s sitting volleyball team faced off against Brazil in a championship semifinal, the result was consistent.

Each time, the U.S. won on its way to a Paralympic gold medal.

The two nations faced off in another semifinal on Thursday, this time coming in the WPV Sitting Volleyball World Championships in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina.

The different competition produced a different result, as Brazil swept the top-ranked U.S. out of the tournament. The Brazilians took a tight opening set 25-23, then widened the gap slightly with 25-18 and 25-17 wins.

The U.S. had lost just three sets in four previous matches in the tournament. After going through pool play undefeated, the Americans were coming off a 3-0 victory over Germany in the quarterfinals, with the closest set being 25-14.

The loss to Brazil ends the Americans’ chances of winning their first world title and their chance of earning a spot in the Paralympic Games Paris 2024 through this tournament. It also ends the streak of three straight world championships silver medals for the U.S.

The U.S. has a chance to win a bronze when it faces Slovenia on Friday.

Brazil had never advanced to the medal rounds before at a world championship and will play for gold against Canada.

The U.S. men’s team’s tournament run came to a close on Thursday with a 3-0 loss to Germany in the fifth-place match. The sixth-place finish is an improvement for the Americans, as they finished eighth in 2018.