US Olympic Volleyball Team 2012: Men's Gold Medal Repeat in Jeopardy

The United States is on the brink in men's indoor volleyball for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

After being up 2-0 on Russia in the fourth game of group play, the U.S. gave up three straight sets and was out-worked in the final two sets by a combined score of 40-24.

It's obvious the competition has improved against the Americans, as they had dropped just four total sets in group play during the 2008 Summer Games. Already through four games this time around, the U.S. has lost four sets with one game remaining.

Now a vulnerable bunch, we look at why the gold medal encore is on the verge of collapse.

Tunisia Will Be Tougher Than Expected

Tunisia has yet to win a game in group play and has only won one set through four matches.

Nevertheless, the United States are coming off an extremely difficult loss, and it's not like Tunisia has anything to lose. For one, the Tunisians gave Russia a battle in losing the first set 25-21 and the third 25-23.

Hamza Nagga is one of the best and most consistent spikers in the men's competition, and Bilel Ben Hassine is another solid scorer with impressive blocking potential. If the U.S. fails to shut down either of these players (like with what happened against Russia), Tunisia won't go down easy and could pull off a major upset.

Even if the Americans win here, barely surviving will only diminish their confidence even more. They must win in dominating fashion, otherwise the bracket will look even tougher to overcome.

Russians Playing With Absolute Confidence

It's hard enough to defeat the Americans in volleyball, but coming back from a 2-0 deficit was damn impressive.

As for the U.S., they choked one away against Russia who now has all the momentum. This is also becoming a bit of a rivalry because the United States beat Russia in the semifinals 3-2 at the 2008 Games.

After defeating the Americans, Russia gets Serbia for the final game of group play.

Being that it's a game Russia should roll, their confidence will only enhance heading into the bracket. If the U.S. gets another chance against the Russians, they must block better at the net and get more consistency at spiking.

Russia dominated near the front by simply positioning themselves for continuous scoring opportunities.

Brazil Seeking Revenge

The USA has been a thorn in Brazil's side since the 2008 Summer Olympics.

In Beijing, the U.S. dropped the first set to Brazil during the gold-medal match and then proceeded to bulldoze en route to taking three straight sets.

Brazil got a little revenge back at the 2011 Pan American Games with a 3-1 win in the final, but the USA took it right back in 2012 with a 3-1 win in group play and a gold-medal performance.

At the 2012 London Games, the U.S. again dominated in similar '08 fashion by giving the first set and taking the next three.

Fortunately for Brazil, they overcame the devastating loss and survived Serbia 3-2. Ironically, earlier in group play they, swept Russia off the court 3-0.

Now that the U.S. has a loss under its belt, expect Brazil to come at them with a stronger and more confident force, provided they meet in the bracket. With the proven ability to start strong, Brazil will keep the pressure on regardless of opponent.

And if that happens to be the U.S., watch for better digs, less errors and improved setups for spikes.

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