Agency :
Italy beat the defending champion U.S. team Sunday to win gold in women’s volleyball at the Paris Olympics.
The victory came in straight sets, 25-18, 25-20, 25-17. The Italians ended a dominant tournament having lost just one set.
It’s the first medal in the sport for top-ranked Italy and sends the Americans home in disappointment after they won their first Olympic title in Tokyo. It’s a huge win for the Italians, whose previous best Olympic finish was fifth.
The victory came in front of a boisterous crowd at South Paris Arena, where many fans waved Italian and U.S. flags. People danced and cheered as the Italians romped to the decisive win.
When Italy scored the match point to end it, many of the players collapsed to the court, then began hugging in a huge scrum. Together they tossed veteran Monica De Gennaro into the air. De Gennaro is a 37-year-old, four-time Olympian.
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The U.S. was up 6-5 in the third set before Italy scored the next seven points to take a 12-6 lead. The Americans fought back, scoring three of the next four points.
The U.S. got within 19-16 before Italy closed it out with a 6-1 run capped by the match point by Paola Egonu, who had a dominant performance, scoring 22 points.