STATESVILLE, N.C. — Team USA's women's sitting volleyball team defeated Brazil in the Paralympic semifinals Friday morning.
The U.S team won 3-0 over Brazil. China beat Canada 3-0 in the other semifinal Friday. The U.S. team will now play China for the gold at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Ahead of the semifinals, Team USA won in last Saturday's match against Rwanda, defeating them 75-31 with a total of three sets, then went on to beat the Russian Paralympic Committee in Pool B on Sept. 1
One member of the team: Statesville's own Emma Schieck, made her Paralympic debut.
Complications with Schieck's birth caused nerve damage to her left shoulder and arm, causing a brachial plexus injury. She cannot fully straighten or rotate her left arm. Despite that, the South Iredell High School grad became a star standup volleyball player. In high school, Schieck was introduced to sitting volleyball. It was a tough version of the support to adjust to.
"It was not always easy but I definitely am really, really happy that I stuck with it," Schieck said in a previous interview with WCNC Charlotte's Nick Carboni.
Now she's an established member of Team USA as an outside hitter, helping them win a world championship in 2019.
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