Finally, 2012 is upon us and the Olympics are just a few short months away. I, for one, am extremely excited and I hope you are too. After a 2008 Olympics in Beijing in which USA Volleyball had its best overall performance ever in both indoor and beach across both the men's and women's games, I'm hoping that we have a repeat this summer in London. I'm not sure that we can do better than three golds and a silver, but it could be close.
On the beach side, both of our defending gold medalists should be back for a chance to defend their titles. Though Phil Dalhausser, Todd Rogers, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh are all four years older and may not be as dominant as they were in Beijing, they still have a very good chance of taking home the gold. That is if they can stay healthy.
On the indoor side, our women's team is ranked No. 1 in the world and could very well win the first gold medal ever for USA women's volleyball. They are already qualified and can use the time remaining to work out any last issues without that qualification cloud hanging over them.
The men's team is not as fortunate nor as highly ranked. They recently fell to 5th in the world after the World Cup and are still looking for a solid player in that setter position vacated by Lloy Ball. They will need to qualify at NORCECA in May or things will start getting hairy.
Still, USA is in great shape going into this Olympic year and we can expect a great performance when these teams get to London. Can't wait!
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