The United States men's volleyball team was looking good in their bid to become back-to-back Olympic champions at the 2012 London games, but their road to gold hit a dead end on Wednesday as the Italian men's volleyball team took them out in their three-set quarterfinal upset.
The Italians, who were ranked just fourth in their preliminary group, stunned the top-seeded Americans by the tune of 28-26, 25-20, 25-20. Italy will now play Brazil as part of Friday's semifinal action.
Clay Stanley scored 16 points for the Americans, who finished the London Olympics with a 4-2 record.
You can keep track of the United States, China, Great Britain and more by checking out Sports Illustrated's complete medal tracker here.
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