Volleyball at the Summer Olympics tiebreaker in the quarterfinals. China went on to win the title, their third in Olympic history, by beating Serbia in four sets in the gold medal match. In the process, Lang Ping became the first person to win a gold medal as a player in Los Angeles 1984 and repeat the feat now as a coach in Rio de Janeiro. China also became the first team to win the Olympics after losing three matches in the preliminary round. The United States defeated Netherlands 3–1 to capture the bronze medal. The fourteen editions of the women's tournament were won by only
Ireland at the 1996 Summer Olympics Ireland at the 1996 Summer Olympics Ireland competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States. Ireland won three gold and one bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics, the highest number ever, and was placed 28th in the medals table. Sonia O'Sullivan, who was seen as the best medal chance prior to the competition, did not win a medal. Michelle Smith was accused of doping, though the accusations were not substantiated at the time. Two years after the Atlanta Games, FINA banned Smith for four years for tampering with her urine sample using alcohol; the testers