Olympic Indoor Volleyball 2016: Women's Medal Winners, Scores and Results

Women's indoor volleyball took the spotlight at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday with two matches to determine the three countries that will take home medals.  

The United States and Netherlands were the opening act in the bronze-medal match. Team USA entered the matchup in search of its third straight medal at the Olympics after winning silver in 2008 and 2012. 

The gold-medal match between China and Serbia features two teams that got hot at the right time. They combined for a 5-5 record in pool play but dazzled during the knockout phase to earn the right to compete for the highest honor. 

Here are the results from Saturday's two matchups as they go final, as well as a recap of the action. 

Medal	Country
Gold	China (def. Serbia, 3-1)
Silver	Serbia
Bronze	United States (def. Netherlands, 3-1)

USA def. Netherlands, 3-1

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Team USA proved its tenacity and mental toughness in a hard-fought four-set victory over Netherlands to secure the bronze medal. 

This match was as close and tense as a four-set battle can be. The United States jumped out to an early advantage with a 25-23 victory in the first set. The Netherlands responded with a narrow 27-25 win in the second set and was up three at one point in the third. 

After falling behind in that third set, the United States began putting things together on the way to a 25-22 set win and a 25-19 romp in the final set to take home the bronze. 

Jordan Larson-Burbach, Kimberly Hill and Foluke Akinradewo led the U.S. with 13 spikes apiece. Rachael Adams was terrific on the defensive side of things with five kill blocks and seven rebounds. 

After the victory, another female volleyball star congratulated the Americans:

The parallels between Team USA's indoor volleyball team and Kerri Walsh Jennings this year were clear. Walsh Jennings had just 24 hours to rebound from her first-ever loss in Olympic competition to win a bronze medal with her partner April Ross. 

The United States, which went through pool play undefeated at 5-0, was stunned by Serbia in the knockout phase. Instead of getting down, the women responded in exhilarating fashion. 

ESPN Stats & Info noted the historical significance of Team USA's third straight medal in indoor volleyball:

The ultimate result wasn't exactly what USA was hoping for when the tournament started, but being able to win another medal is an impressive achievement for the country after struggling in this event prior to 2008. 

The Netherlands also has nothing to be down about after the loss. The country last qualified for the event in 1996. Taking one of the world's top teams to the limit in a medal match is an excellent way to tell the world you are back. 

China def. Serbia, 3-1

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

China failed to medal in women's volleyball four years ago at the 2012 Olympics in London, but it responded in a big way on Saturday with a 3-1 win over Serbia to claim gold. 

The gold medal is China's first in women's volleyball since 2004 and third overall. All told, China now owns six medals in the sport dating back to 1984. 

As for Serbia, the silver is its first medal ever in the sport of women's volleyball at the Olympics. 

The Serbians actually won the first set convincingly, 25-19, and they appeared determined to push China as much as possible following the thorough throttling in the first frame. 

However, China struck right back in the second set with a commanding 25-17 win that appeared to spark its effort. 

The Chinese then went on to take the third set, 25-22, before closing things out for good in the fourth set with a 25-23 victory. 

China benefitted from 27 errors from its Serbian opponents, but a more complete effort that included more dynamic blocks and extra determination at the net paved the way to gold.