Haleigh Washington, Micha Hancock Help U.S. Advance To Olympic Quarterfinals

Posted on by Ethan Kasales

Penn State women’s volleyball alumnae Haleigh Washington and Micha Hancock played instrumental roles in helping the United States win Pool B with a 4-1 record and advance to the Olympic quarterfinals, where they will face the Dominican Republic August 4 at 12 a.m. ET.

Washington made her fifth straight start at middle blocker in Team USA’s come-from-behind, 3-2 win (21-25, 25-16, 25-27, 25-16, 15-12) over Italy in the final match of pool play. Washington had seven kills and four blocks in the victory, while Hancock subbed in for an injured Jordyn Poulter at setter and finished with 23 assists, five digs, and a kill.

The match pitted Hancock and Washington against their club teammates, Cristina Chirichella and Caterina Bosetti, from Igor Gorgozola Novara of the Italian Serie A. The Penn State grads spent the 2020-21 season together with the club and are signed for the upcoming season as well.

Despite being without star outside hitter and leading scorer Jordan Thompson, who suffered an ankle injury in Team USA’s 3-0 loss to the Russian Olympic Committee, the American squad showed plenty of determination and passion in a key win to give it momentum heading into the quarterfinals.

The Dominican Republic was the fourth team to qualify out of Pool A with a 2-3 record. It swept Kenya and beat the host nation Japan 3-1 to secure its spot in the knockout round.

If the U.S. beats the Dominican Republic Wednesday, it will face the winner of Italy (3-2) and Serbia (4-1) in the semifinals. Brazil, the only team to go 5-0 in pool play, will face ROC (3-2) and South Korea (3-2) will meet Turkey (3-2), which greatly helped the U.S. by beating ROC in five sets to wrap up pool play.

Purdue grad Annie Drews was fantastic against Italy in her first Olympic start at opposite hitter, tallying a team-high 22 points on 19 kills and three blocks. Hancock and Poulter, before injuring her right ankle, found Drews often as the U.S. hit .291 to Italy’s .196 clip.

Washington and Hancock, who helped the Nittany Lions win their seventh and most recent NCAA national championship in 2014 in Oklahoma City, are showing exactly why they are such valuable team players on the biggest stage this sport has to offer in Tokyo. Playing in their first Olympics, the Penn State duo has stepped up on the court and on the sidelines cheering their teammates on with fervor.

If Poulter is unavailable for the Dominican Republic match, Penn State fans will have the chance to watch Hancock and Washington’s easy connection take center stage. After years of playing together in college, professionally, and with the U.S. women’s national team, they’re more than prepared for this huge moment in their careers.