Olympics: Japan women defeated by Poland in Paris volleyball opener

Japan's quest to win its first women's volleyball Olympic medal since 2012 got off to a rocky start on Sunday when world No. 3 Poland handed it a three set to one loss at South Paris Arena.In the teams' first Pool B match, fourth-ranked Poland's far superior blocking was the difference, with the Europeans scoring nine more points than Japan on defense with many more block attempts.Two-time Olympic champion Japan won a close first set 25-20 which set the tone for a hard-fought match, with Poland taking the next three 25-22, 25-23 and 28-26, requiring two match points to get it done in the fo…READ FULL ARTICLE