During the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China was dead-set to dominate as many events as humanly possible. The United States women's volleyball team fell just short with the silver in 2008, but now as the No. 1 seed at the 2012 Olympic games in London, they're hungrier than ever for their first gold medal.
The No. 3 seeded Chinese team stood in their way, but the Americans took care of business with a 26-24, 25-16, 31-29, victory on Wednesday at Earls Court to improve to 3-0 in the tournament.
Destinee Hooker had an impressive 17 kills during the match, though reserve Megan Hodge was on fire, finishing with 18 kills. Hodge ended the match with after the U.S. couldn't close on the five previous match points.
Foluke Akinradewo, the 4-time All-American out of Stanford, had a nice game as well with eight kills and two blocks.
The US has now beaten the No. 3 and No. 2 seeds in China and Brazil, claiming Group B while clinching a spot in the quarterfinals in the process. The Americans are back in action Friday against Serbia before finishing pool play Sunday against Turkey.
For more on the daily medal count, make sure to check out SI's complete medal tracker here.
Follow this StoryStream for more coverage of local athletes at the 2012 Olympic Games. For more on the 2012 Olympic Games, make sure that you check out SB Nation's dedicated Olympics hub.