USA Women Way Ahead of Schedule

Last week I mentioned how great the USA women's national team looks of late. I wrote about how they were strong and deep and maybe the best team we've ever put together. I predicted that they would do well in the Grand Prix final round, but would not get past Brazil due to their relative inexperience. Last Sunday, these women proved to be way ahead of schedule.

After a slow, Logan-less start in week one, Tom re-joined the squad and the U.S won 11 straight matches including a 5-0 run in the final round to win gold.  They beat Poland and eight-time champs Brazil in close five set matches and took care of China, Japan and Italy in three sets apiece. They racked up the post-tourney awards too - middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo won the MVP and Best Blocker awards and Alisha Glass was named Best Setter of the tournament.

As strong as I could tell they were last week, I was not expecting them to win this tournament. Having recently formed this latest incarnation of the national team, I figured they'd use this tournament to gain experience and work on the team cohesion they'll need in the coming years. They did that and much more in the last four weeks, coming along much more quickly than anyone could have expected.

This is all great news. But there are two long years left before the London Games, so here's what I'd love to see happen now: continued development and continued patience. The team can't take this opportunity to get complacent. Yes, they won a huge tournament and it is a really big deal. Yes, they are going to be one of our best teams ever.

But they are not there yet. They've got work to do. Despite their lightning rise to the top, they need to continue to grow and develop individually and as a team if they want the same result at the Olympics. The world knows about them now. The USA has a newly drawn target on its back and these teams will come back harder, stronger and knowing each player better. Lots of scouting tape will be watched around the world in the coming months. It's not going to get easier.

They also need to be patient. The next two years will not be without bumps in the road. Not every tournament will end like this one. This is a good thing. It needs to happen for their development and for them to have a chance at the gold in 2012. More is learned from loss than from victory. They need to get in more tough situations with more tough teams and they need to get a feel for themselves in the heat of battle so they can draw on that experience when it really counts.

The players and coaches aren't the only ones who need to be patient. I'd also like to see some patience from the fans. If things don't always go this well in the many tournaments ahead of this team, don't throw them under the bus. It is early yet, and they deserve the opportunity to grow into the greatness they will surely find very soon.

What I was most encouraged by is that this team clearly knows how to fight. They came back from an 0-2 deficit against Poland and they pulled out a 15-13 fifth set against No. 1 in the world Brazil.  They've proven without a doubt that they have the talent and the coaching staff to win gold in 2012. Fans and former national team players can breathe a sigh of relief - American women's volleyball is in very good hands.