Men's volleyball quarterfinals recap: Italy and France set up ...

The top-seed Italians entered as the only team to take all nine possible points from pool play after dominating Pool B. They faced an extremely difficult test against Japan in a massive clash of styles. Italy came at Japan with an overwhelming attack, that Japan was able to ward off with incredible receiving and defending, setting the stage for a wild rollercoaster of a match.

It was Japan that controlled the first set and got out to an early lead with a 25-20 win. The Japanese shut down Italy's powerful attack with feisty defense and some big swings themselves from the likes of Yuji Nishida and Yuki Ishikawa.

The second set looked more like the Italians with all three of their big hitters, Alessandro Michieletto, Yuri Romano and Daneile Lavia, scoring in double digits after two sets. They were up three late in the set and looked to be on to even the game up, when Japan launched a ferocious comeback, scoring the final four points of the set to go up 2-0 on the match. 

That was not even close to the best comeback this match had in store.

It looked like Japan simply had too much momentum and would carry it all the way into a straight-sets win. That was until the Italians had one more answer to keep it alive, coming back from three match points to tie the third set at 24 with an ace from Simone Giannelli. The crowd was absolutely roaring as Michieletto came up with a massive block to give his country the lead. Ishikawa came back with a massive hit--his 24th point of the night--to save the set point and tie it at 25. 

Then, pandemonium ensued inside Paris I Arena, which has been rocking all tournament long, as Lavia killed off the set at 27-25 and kept Italy alive. On the brink of elimination, Italy gave itself new life with a win in one of the wildest sets of the tournament. 

Japan survived two match points to tie the fourth set at 24, but Italy used two monster blocks to force the fifth. They were the fourth and fifth blocks by the Italians in the set, upping their total for the match to 13. By that point the crowd had come completely unglued and was ready for what promised to be an epic fifth set. 

The fifth set delivered, with the teams rarely separated by more than a point throughout. Japan held match point at 15-14, but in the end Italy made the plays needed and scored three straight points to cap off an incredible match. 

Once down three match points, the Italians reverse swept from there and sent themselves to the semifinals. Looking to become the first country to win seven medals in men's volleyball, their pursuit of an elusive first gold medal remains alive. 

MATCH STATS

Despite having the home crowd behind them, France struggled mightily out of the gate. Germany dominated the first set behind Gyorgy Grozer who had seven points on 5/9 swings and two blocks. Germany was highly efficient on offense going 15/26 on swings, and the French defense had little to no answers for their attack. 

It looked like France was getting right back into the match in the second set as they were in control throughout, then held set point at 24-22. However, Germany survived both set points to force overtime, and both teams had set points before Germany closed it out at 28-26. The Germans spread the wealth on offense as they had five players with more than six points, leaving the French defense in disarray and unable to close out the set. 

France took control of the third with the set tied at 15 when it ran off three points in a row, going on to take the set 25-20. It started on defense for the French as they used four blocks and nine digs to kick start a dormant offense. The injection of offense got the crowd back into it and began feeding the French team some momentum heading into the fourth set. 

That momentum carried over as France held the lead for most of the set and really got the offense going. This time it was about the attack, as the French went 14/29 on swings en route to a 25-21 set win that forced a fifth. 

Once that French crowd got going it never stopped and it willed their team into winning position. Things got close late in the fifth, but Germany missed a serve at 14-13 and the comeback was complete. It looked like France were dead in the water, but it picked itself up off the mat and pulled off the second reverse sweep of the day.

On the court, it was Earvin Ngapeth and Trevor Clevenot who told their teammates to hop on their backs and led them into the semifinals. The pair combined for 41 points, while no other French player had more than 11. They fought off a German attack that had five players in double digits, including Grozer's 22, after going down two sets and somehow came back to win. 

The win sets up a battle of the reverse sweepers, as the French will face Italy in the semifinals Wednesday. 

MATCH STATS

The top-ranked Polish entered trying to overcome the ghosts of five straight exits in the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games. There were concerns that history would repeat itself after Italy manhandled them in the final match of pool play, but any doubts were quickly erased. 

Poland got off to a hot start, taking the first set 25-20 behind a great defensive effort. Poland's two blocks and 13 digs in the first set made life extremely difficult on Slovenia, whose star player, Tonjeck Stern, had just three points on 3/14 swings in the first set. 

Tomasz Fornal, who has been dealing with an injury in this tournament, was everywhere on defense for Poland with seven digs and two blocks through two sets.

Slovenia held a late 21-20 lead in the second set, but looked to have given it away when Poland held set point at 24-23. However, the Slovenians were able to turn the table with a late rally to score three straight points and take a 26-24 set win. It was Klemen Cebulj — not Stern — who led the way on offense through two sets with 11 points on 11/22 swings. Stern remained in check with just six points on 6/22 swings.

Slovenia woke the lion in the third set as Poland's superstar, Wilfredo Leon, took over the match. Poland scored 10 of the first 13 points in the set, the final three of which came on consecutive aces by Leon, who raised his point total on the night to 16 in the third set. Alongside, the Polish captain, Bartosz Kurek, had 15 kills on 15/29 swings. As a team, Poland was just too much for Slovenia in the third set as it used six aces to propel it to a 25-19 set win. 

Things were tied at 18 in the fourth when Poland reeled off four straight points, including yet another ace from Jakub Kochanowski, to take control of the set. Poland had six aces in the fourth set, doubling its total on the night to an absurd 12, and cruised to a 25-20 win to take the match. 

The win puts Poland in its first semifinal since 1980, and finally rids them of the demons of five straight losses in the quarterfinals. The Polish are now guaranteed at least a chance at their first medal in 48 years and will face the winner of the match between the United States and Brazil. 

Slovenia was a tremendous story as the only country making its debut in the this tournament and reaching the quarterfinals, it just did not quite have enough to take down a force like top-ranked Poland.

MATCH STATS

Team USA is into its seventh semifinal in Olympic history after it got past Brazil in four sets. 

Brazil pushed the U.S. hard, keeping every set tight until the Americans pulled away late in each of their set wins. The second set was as wild as they come, with the teams going into overtime and Brazil surviving multiple set points to give itself a lifeline.

That could have been the turning point of the match, but the United States shut down any comeback attempt with an efficient attack led by Matt Anderson, the 37-year-old four-time Olympian who went vintage with his biggest hitting performance of the Games so far. He finished with 20 points on 17/28 swings, and Torey DeFalco was right behind him with another stellar performance, posting 16 points on 15/28 swings. 

The U.S. has now guaranteed itself a shot at a medal after crashing out of pool play in Tokyo. It is a great turnaround for Team USA, which is seeking to become the fourth country ever to win six medals in men's Olympic volleyball. 

They have drawn the world No. 1 Poland in the semifinals, who finally got past the quarterfinals after five straight losses at that phase. Poland is seeking its first medal since 1976. That game takes place Wednesday at 10 a.m ET.