Olympic Volleyball 2012: Picking Favorites for Women's Gold

Now that pool play is over, the power rankings for the remaining teams have been made clear.

Two teams, Russia and the United States, finished undefeated in pool play, while Italy, China, Brazil and Japan all finished with winning records as well.

Rounding out the final brackets are South Korea and the Dominican Republic.

Of these eight teams, five stand out as clear favorites.

China

China's losses in pool play to Brazil and the United States were disappointing. The flattening they received at the hands of the Americans was especially bad, but China is always a threat when they make finals play.

Four years removed from their bronze medal performance in the Beijing games, the Chinese team is still a threat capable of winning any time. 

This probably isn't their year, but the Chinese team will remain a team to watch until they are eliminated.

Brazil

Brazil holds the distinction of being one of just two teams to win a set on the American team.

More impressive, though, was their win over China, which is always a feat to be proud of.

Unfortunately, this Brazil team doesn't look as strong as the team that won gold in Beijing.

After getting flattened by South Korea and handled by the Americans, Brazil looks like they have a tough task in getting past the Russians in the first round.

An upset over the Russians, though, could give Brazil the momentum to win gold.

Italy

The Italian team was stellar in pool play, losing only a tight match to Russia.

Beyond that, they were dominant. The Italians easily dispatched two other teams, the Dominican Republic and Japan, to make the knockout stage

More importantly, their match against the Russians, who were otherwise dominant, showed that either team could have a chance at gold.

Either team could have won that match, so if the two teams play one another again, the result could easily be different.

Of course, Italy would have to get past the Americans first. This would be an incredible task, but it could be done. If Italy does defeat the United States, then they have a very good chance to win gold.

Russia

Russia was arguably the best team in pool play, winning the most points en route to going undefeated.

The reason the Russian team is the not the number one favorite though is because, unlike the United States, Russia was seriously tested by a tough Italian team.

The Dominican Republic and Japan also offered Russia tough matches, so Russia isn't quite as invulnerable as the Americans.

Still, their undefeated record accurately portrays their talents. This is a tough team that will have a very real chance at gold.

Expect Russia to make the finals, where they will likely play the Americans for gold.

United States

Speaking of the United States, they have asserted themselves as the overall favorite to win gold after a dominating performance in pool play.

This team just knows how to win. They didn't really dominate any of their opponents, but they always did enough to win.

One thing working against the Americans is that they were never seriously tested in pool play. How they will respond in pressure packed games remains to be seen.

But there is no reason not to favor the United States for the gold. They are a tough, deep team that plays tremendous defense.

Expect the United States to face Russia for gold in what should be a truly exciting match.