There are 24 men and women heading to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris to brandish America's stars and stripes in classic indoor volleyball.
Two teams of 12 men and 12 women have their eyes on the gold since solidifying their places on Team USA The women will be defending their title since dominating Brazil in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and winning the nation’s first-ever gold medal in the sport. Meanwhile the men aim to grab their fourth gold medal since winning their first in the 1984 Los Angeles Games, their most recent being 16 year ago in Beijing.
Here's what to know ahead of the Games.
RELATED:Where To Watch 2024 Paris Olympics: Complete Schedule
Key athletes to watch
Nine of the 12 men’s athletes are returning Olympians, according to NBC Sports. Of them, 37-year-old opposite Matt Anderson ties 39-year-old middle blocker David Smith for a record-setting fourth appearance in the Olympics.
USA's Torey Defalco (L) spikes the ball in the men's preliminary round pool B volleyball match between USA and Argentina during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on August 2, 2021. Photo: Yuri Cortez/AFP
In a 2023 interview with Olympics.com, Anderson cited “a quiet confidence” about the men’s team after their “frustrating” experience in Tokyo, in which they placed 10th. The married father of two told NBC Sports it was “always a goosebumps-type of honor” to represent America, even if maybe for one last time.
“Paris 2024 would be a great end to my career,” he said in the September 2023 interview. “I don’t want to say it’s going to be the end because then I get emotional, but it’ll be really good.”
As for Smith, his participation in the 2024 Games will make him the oldest player to compete since Reid Priddy. The California-raised athlete helped Team USA win bronze in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, which was no small feat considering he was born deaf and relies on lip-reading and hearing aids, according to USA Volleyball.
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“I always knew I was different. I knew [I] was unique,” Smith said in a 2012 interview with NBC Los Angeles. “But my parents made sure I was in class with the average kids and played sports with every other kid.”
Team Captain for the Women’s National Team since 2017, three-time Olympic medalist Jordan Larson, 37, shocked fans when taking back her decision to retire after the Tokyo 2020 Games, where she was named Best Outside Hitter and MVP. She told NBC Olympics there was “more in the tank” for Paris.
“I’m excited to keep exploring that,” she said. “And I feel this sense of just peace and pure enjoyment.”
Another one to watch is fellow outside hitter, 32-year-old Kelsey Robinson Cook, who joined Larson in the 2016 and 2020 Games and will return for her third Olympic appearance with the U.S. Women’s Team.
Learn more about the athletes headed to Parison NBC's Olympics website.
Jordan Larson during FIVB Volleyball Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament - Road to Paris 2024 match between USA v Italy, in Lodz, Poland on September 22, 2023 Photo: Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto via Getty Images
How to watch
Every day during theSummer Olympics, NBC will offer fans at least nine hours of daytime coverage of the Games’ most exciting events, including live finals coverage of swimming, gymnastics, track and field, and more. Considering the time difference (Paris is six hours ahead of the U.S.’s eastern time zone), fans will be able to watch the day’s most popular events live on NBC in the morning and afternoon. NBC will also deliver anenhanced Olympics primetime showeach night, providing three hours of must-see entertainment.
In addition, every event fromthe Summer Olympics will be broadcast live on Peaco*ck, which will be home to an innovative Olympics hub that will include "curated rails of live and upcoming events, dedicated in-depth hubs for nearly 40 sports, medal standings and an interactive schedule."
Complete schedule for volleyball events
Saturday, July 27
3:00 a.m. ET: Match 1: Men’s Pool Play
7:00 a.m. ET: Match 2: Men’s Pool Play
11:00 a.m. ET: Match 3: Men’s Pool Play
3:00 p.m. ET: Match 4: Men’s Pool Play
Sunday, July 28
3:00 a.m. ET: Match 5: Women’s Pool Play
7:00 a.m. ET: Match 6: Women’s Pool Play
11:00 a.m. ET: Match 7: Men’s Pool Play
3:00 p.m. ET: Match 8: Men’s Pool Play
Monday, July 29
3:00 a.m. ET: Match 9: Women's Pool Play
7:00 a.m. ET: Match 10: Women's Pool Play
11:00 a.m. ET: Match 11: Women's Pool Play
3:00 p.m. ET: Match 12: Women's Pool Play
Tuesday, July 30
3:00 a.m. ET: Match 13: Men's Pool Play
7:00 a.m. ET: Match 14: Men's Pool Play
11:00 a.m. ET: Match 15: Men's Pool Play
3:00 p.m. ET: Match 16: Men's Pool Play
Wednesday, July 31
3:00 a.m. ET: Match 17: Men's Pool Play
7:00 a.m. ET: Match 18: Men's Pool Play
11:00 a.m. ET: Match 19: Women's Pool Play
3:00 p.m. ET: Match 20: Women's Pool Play
Thursday, August 1
3:00 a.m. ET: Match 21: Women's Pool Play
7:00 a.m. ET: Match 22: Women's Pool Play
11:00 a.m. ET: Match 23: Women's Pool Play
3:00 p.m. ET: Match 24: Women's Pool Play
Friday, August 2
3:00 a.m. ET: Match 25: Men's Pool Play
7:00 a.m. ET: Match 26: Men's Pool Play
11:00 a.m. ET: Match 27: Men's Pool Play
3:00 p.m. ET: Match 28: Men's Pool Play
Saturday, August 3
3:00 a.m. ET: Match 29: Women's Pool Play
7:00 a.m. ET: Match 30: Women's Pool Play
11:00 a.m. ET: Match 31: Men's Pool Play
3:00 p.m. ET: Match 32: Men's Pool Play
Sunday, August 4
3:00 a.m. ET: Match 33: Women's Pool Play
7:00 a.m. ET: Match 34: Women's Pool Play
11:00 a.m. ET: Match 35: Women's Pool Play
3:00 p.m. ET: Match 36: Women's Pool Play
Monday, August 5
3:00 a.m. ET: Men's Quarterfinal 1
7:00 a.m. ET: Men's Quarterfinal 2
11:00 a.m. ET: Men's Quarterfinal 3
3:00 p.m. ET: Men's Quarterfinal 4
Tuesday, August 6
3:00 a.m. ET: Women's Quarterfinal 1
7:00 a.m. ET: Women's Quarterfinal 2
11:00 a.m. ET: Women's Quarterfinal 3
3:00 p.m. ET: Women's Quarterfinal 4
Wednesday, August 7
10:00 a.m. ET: Men's Semifinal 1
2:00 p.m. ET: Men's Semifinal 2
Thursday, August 8
10:00 a.m. ET: Women's Semifinal 1
2:00 p.m. ET: Women's Semifinal 2
Friday, August 9
10:00 a.m. ET: Men's Bronze Final
Saturday, August 10
7:00 a.m. ET: Men's Gold Final
11:15 a.m. ET: Women's Bronze Final
Sunday, August 11
7:00 a.m. ET:Women's Gold Final
Don't Miss
No matter what you’re interested in, NBCU will have you covered during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Stay up to date with a comprehensiveschedule of events, including where to watch,andmedal count. And be sure to watch the Closing Ceremony Sunday, August 11 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peaco*ck.
