Japan was outclassed by the United States in a straight-sets defeat, seeing its quest for a second consecutive Olympic medal end in the quarterfinals of the women's volleyball tournament at the Rio Olympics on Tuesday.
Masayoshi Manabe's squad, which finished in a tie for -fifth place, was trying to improve on a bronze-medal finish at the London Games in 2012, but fell 25-16, 25-23, 25-22 against the world No. 1 U.S. team, despite having the backing of a boisterous crowd at the Maracanazinho arena.
"This was the first time I competed in an Olympics as captain and I am disappointed that we weren't able to reach our goal. But I am thankful to my staff and family for all their support," said 29-year-old team captain Saori Kimura, who also competed in London, at the 2008 Beijing Games, and in Athens in 2004.