this is USA's gold medal to lose. China & Serbia are definitely strong but at they are still no match against USA when they are on a roll. W/o Brazil, USA's achilles's heel during OGs, this is USA's chance to finally claim the gold medal.
My dark horse is still Korea. Don't ever underestimate KYK. With ample amount of support from her teammates, she can do wonders.
i think this is not only a pool bottom team with splended comback through in QF, just as Brazil did four years ago in London.
it was far more than that.
who can tell me the last time when Brazil missed the final four in OG tournament.
i think it might be in Barcelona 1992. that was 24 years ago...it is too sad to see brazil made it and it will be an overwhelming load for the whole team.
moreover, who can tell the last time when top four teams from one pool defeated all top four from the other pool in OG tournament?
nope they were in the top 4..they lost the bronze medal match against USA...in the semis they faced then CIS(Russia)
With the quarterfinals outcome, often unexpected, some major shifts will result: Serbia becomes now number 3 in the world and number 1 in Europe (regardless of the four remaining Olympic matches), Brazil drops to rank 4 and Russia to 5 accordingly. The last matches will decide, if USA keep on the top or China will grab it from them. Currently they are nearly level with the points they have already secured.
And finally the surprise of the QFs arrived 
I did't expect that...
I still have to watch the match, but in the mid time, congrats China!!!
The whole teams from pool A are out Comgrats to China.
Zé always says it's better to be on the strongest pool. You know the level of the competition before the playoffs.
3-0 pool B so far.
The first things I realized/thought when I saw the result...
I want China to win but it's clearly not possible
I love how suddenly things can change sometimes in volleyball... The male final at London 2012 is still one of my favorite match ever 
Seems like you guys were going through the exact opposite of Brazil today - Brazil lost everything until late afternoon when Alison/Bruno advanced in beach volley.
It was a nightmare.
OT: Also for Italy was a bad day, with several chance of (bronze) medals gone (Vanessa Ferrari in artistic gymnastic above all).
Then, Lupo-Nicolai won the beach volleyball semifinal 
With this result now Italy have a very convincing excuse for their failure. They played in the group of death.
As an European I'd like the Netherlands and Serbia to meet in the finals, speaking of which even in the worst case that could happen, at least one of them will have something in their hands to go home with 
nope they were in the top 4..they lost the bronze medal match against USA...in the semis they faced then CIS(Russia)
thank you...i just quickly checked up with the information.
Brazil was out of Final four in Seoul 1988.
During 1980s, Brazil was in a rising mode, however back to this OG circle, we all see Brazil was descenting.
and since 1992 all the Gold medalists came from POOL B
I am sooo sorry I couldn't stay awake to watch the game.. I kinda knew something like this could happen. Congrats to China.. sad that Brazil is out, but at this stage of the tournament it's sad when any team is out.. I wonder what Brazilian team will look lie next years.. Now I hope to see USA finally taking the gold medal.. But first they have to beat great Serbian team
Even though still ongoing, this olympics will go down as one of the most shocking and unpredictable in recent memory.
Russia's loss against Serbia was heartbreaking but in a way, not that surprising. For the third time in a row, they were not able to get past the quarterfinals. Just like in London, playing in an easier pool proved to be a disadvantage. None of the teams from Pool A could cope up with the battle-tested teams from Pool B. About Marichev, I understand that he has weird decisions and player choices but I'd still give him credit for having an eye for spotting talent and developing them. I just hope that he won't follow the footsteps of his predecessor, Ovchinnikov.
The outcome of USA-Japan match is predictable but Brazil losing to China was a shocker. It would be understandable if it means Brazil not winning gold but not even reaching the semis was certainly unexpected. Such a sad way to go for Sheilla, Jacque, Thaisa, Fabiana, and the rest of the historic batch of Brazilian players.
The biggest winners in this edition would be Serbia and (specially) Netherlands. Netherlands has gone such a long way. From being Europe's lesser teams to vice European champions, qualifying in the olympics, winning bronze in WGP and now reaching the semis and with very good chances for a medal! Not to mention all these happened in less than 2 years! This is a very historic and special milestone in the history of dutch volleyball. Regardless if they win their next games, they are already big winners. Special mention to Pietersen who was just a backup player before but has proven herself to be an important player to her team. She has definitely made good use and maximized the opportunities that was given to her.
I honestly don't see USA as a guaranteed gold medalist, maybe not even a medalist at all.
What Serbia did yesterday happens only a few times, all of their players served incredibly well. I know US has much better receiving than Russia (probably not even comparable), but on the other hand, US game system is more vulnerable when receiving goes bad. Alisha's sets will get predictable in case of bad receiving and don't think any of the US wing spikers, except Larson is capable of passing high blocks. I think Hill, Robinson, Muprhy and Lowe, all are system players and shine when the system works. Key to stopping US is serving like yesterday and stopping their middles.
I read several times that Serbia's game is quite inconsistent, I would say Ognjenovic is inconsistent. Her sets get really shaky at some points and that was when Russia caught Serbia in the match. Besides, I think Ognjenovic performs much better when she dominates the setter of opponents, which happened yesterday with Pankova & Vetrova. I think her game will be not as spectacular when she has Glass on the other side of the court.
Congrats to China, looks like they finally found a good six and improved their game. I guess they will keep this momentum in semis too. I'm really sorry for Brazilian girls, they looked really passionate in the 5th set, engaging the crowd
Oh mu gosh! I wasn't so sad when I saw the result this morning, and also I am not the biggest Brazilian NT fan, however watching the match now, and how the girls supported each other, trying to fire up the crowd and themselves.. heartbreaking
brazil has already had oliympic gold medals ..lets see another gold medal winner!
has usa ever won a gold in OG's ?
if the girls of serbian and dutch teams overcome the pressure they can make a miracle by winning gold!! very strange but thats real! though usa mentally seems to be the biggest candidate for the gold
do you think Dutch team may be more successful in beating the pressure than Serbian team ?
Usa , Serbia and Ned never won.
Only Cuba,Brazil,China,Japan and Russia have won Gold.
Petersen after the game with Korea, when asked about the semis, she said the pressure would be on Brazil's side, she completely ignored China, now she looks stupid.
What a bizarre turn of events. This Olympics will definitely be remembered as a changing of the guard, in beach and the men's tournament, as well. I was so sad to see Brazil's reaction to losing. I wish China and Brazil could have made it through! I bet Thaisa will try to come back, as she's only 29. This wasn't her best year. Natalia, Gabi, Carol, Leia, and maybe Dani will have to lead a new generation and bounce back fast. Still, what worked with the Brazilian system was how familiar they were with each other-- they had unparalleled chemistry. That will be impossible to recreate.
Serbia v USA is, in my mind, a final in itself. Both have some of the most well developed players I've ever seen. I think it's mostly a question of strategy and 'having a good day.' Serbia has unstoppable hitters, whereas USA favors more well-rounded players. Serbia can overtake the USA offensively, but if the USA serves tough, defends well, and Alicia makes good choices, then the gold medal match is theirs to lose.
Ned v China will be exciting too. China's biggest issue is focus. Either the young players will still be pissed that they placed 4th in the group, and want revenge over the Netherlands, or they'll be overcome with the excitement of beating Brazil, and become complacent. The Netherlands, conversely, have shown tremendous focus and maturity through the tournament.
Some other thoughts: Italy reminds me of what Serbia was 8 years ago-- young, sloppy, underdeveloped, and super talented. I think it's actually critical that the team doesn't swap coaches, unless it's totally necessary. They need a consistent training environment where they can all grow together, learn each others tendencies, develop as a team, etc. Chirichella, Danesi, Orro, Malinov, Sylla, Gennari, Egonu, and Diouf (if she continues) can be an extremely formidable team in 2020 and 2024 (and even 2028).
If China can find a really good young setter, I think the same goes for them-- though they're much further along.
Never underestimate the ability of the press to milk every last drop of misery and sadness out of a few seconds of real life events
Poor Jaque, she has been Natalia's back in her last NT tournament even when her team mate was awful, like large part of yesterday's match. Of course she left the NT with a broken heart. 
Sometimes I can't get Ze Roberto.
What a heartbreak for Brazil. Not a big fan of theirs but they really tried so hard. It must be tough.
Terrible day for Brazil all around; handball, women's football and this.