How local Olympians fared: Women's volleyball advances, rhythmic gymnasts fall short

There haven't been many opportunities for the United States women's volleyball team to compete for a gold medal.

But in Tokyo, the Americans sure did made a statement on their way to their fourth gold-medal match.

In the semifinals on Thursday, the United States, which includes two local athletes in Kelsey Robinson of Bartlett and alternate Lauren Carlini of Aurora, swept Serbia, 3-0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-23).

Andrea Drews led the United States with 12 kills.

End of the road: The United States won't be represented in the finals of the individual all-around of the rhythmic gymnastics competition.

The Americans, led by a strong contingent from the Chicago suburbs, had no one finish among the top 10, which is the threshold for qualification for the finals.

Evita Griskenas of Orland Park, a five-time Pan American medalist, placed 12th and Laura Zeng of Libertyville, a two-time Olympian, placed 13th.

There is still hope for the United States, though.

In the group qualifiers on Saturday, the United States will compete with a group of six that includes Camilla Feeley of Deerfield, Lili Mizuno of Northbrook, Nicole Sladkov of Vernon Hills and Elizaveta Pletneva of Wheeling.