The U.S. women’s volleyball team will likely be without starters Jordyn Poulter and Jordan Thompson in the Olympic quarterfinals as the Americans square off against the Dominican Republic on Wednesday.
Setter Poulter and opposite hitter Thompson were limited at practice on Tuesday after rolling their right ankles during pool play of the Olympic tournament in Tokyo.
Poulter was injured when she landed on a teammate’s foot during the American win over Italy on Monday, which eventually helped the U.S. clinch the top spot in Pool B of the preliminary round.
Thompson’s injury occurred in a similar way on Saturday during the team’s loss to the ROC, sidelining one of the top scorers in the tournament.
If the U.S. wins on Wednesday, both Poulter and Thompson could return later in the tournament.
Update from #Tokyo2020 The U.S. Women 🇺🇲 and Italy 🇮🇹 are tied 1-1 in the final pool play match.
— USA Volleyball (@usavolleyball) August 2, 2021
Both teams will advance to the QFs
Jordan Thompson is watching from the stands. We are hopeful that she will play again in Tokyo.
Watch info: https://t.co/GqOa7xyiyB pic.twitter.com/kZpStiRXSV
So far, the Americans have been able to withstand the injuries, adding backup setter Micah Hancock and opposite Annie Drews to the lineup.
But the 2016 bronze medalists will need a big performance against the Dominican Republic, who ended host nation Japan’s tournament hopes with a 3-1 victory on Monday.