Four-time U.S. Olympians Matt Anderson and David Smith are medalists once more — even if it’s not the gold one they are still chasing.

They came back for this chance, along with so many others on a team with something to prove in Paris after leaving Tokyo empty-handed. This close-knit group has become one big family. With kids in tow, too.

“I’m tentatively signing on for LA ’28, but taking it year by year,” Anderson said. “Taking it year by year personally how I’m doing, physically, mentally, how my family’s doing, because as always they’re first. I won’t let volleyball take away from them.”

Smith isn’t ready to say he’s done, either.

The Americans are thrilled to be taking home men’s volleyball hardware from the Paris Olympics, outlasting Italy in a wild, back-and-forth battle for bronze on Friday.

It went 25-23, 30-28 — a sensational second set in which each country had multiple chances — and 26-24 at a rocking South Paris Arena.

The Americans had to regroup in a hurry from the heartbreak of a five-set loss to No. 1 Poland two days earlier. And this was a long time coming after they failed to even advance from group play in Tokyo three years ago.

“I’m really proud of them, it’s taken a lot of time. Time builds trust, and there’s a lot of trust in one another to go out there and perform in these moments,” coach John Speraw said.

“They went out and they played for their families, they played for each other. I think the amount of time that they’ve spent together over the years is meaningful for all of us.”

American trio win wrestling medals

Helen Maroulis emphatically pushed her name back atop the list of U.S. women’s Olympic wrestling medalists.

Maroulis pinned Canada’s Hannah Taylor in 24 seconds to claim bronze medal in the 57-kilogram freestyle category on Friday. She is the first American woman to claim three Olympic medals, following her gold in Rio de Janeiro and her bronze in Tokyo.

Maroulis, 32, said as recently as Thursday she thought she was going to retire. Now, she’s not sure what she’ll do.

“I didn’t want to just, like, go out there and wrestle scared ... I really wanted to wrestle my very best,” she said. “And if is this is the last memory I have of myself on the mat, I wanted it to be something beautiful.”

The only American woman to make three Olympic teams, Maroulis broke the tie of two Olympic medals she shared with Sarah Hildebrandt, who won gold earlier in the week. No other American woman has more than one Olympic medal.

Maroulis was one of three American wrestlers to earn medals on Friday. Spencer Lee earned silver in men’s 57 kg freestyle and Aaron Brooks took bronze in the men’s 86 kg freestyle division.

Japan’s Higuchi Rei defeated Lee with a takedown in the closing seconds of the 57 kg freestyle final.

• Aaron Brooks earned his bronze with a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan’s Javrail Shapiev.

It’s been a big year for Brooks — he won his fourth collegiate national title for Penn State, then defeated 2021 Olympic gold medalist David Taylor at Olympic trials. He opened his first Olympics by knocking off No. 1 seed Azamat Dauletbekov of Kazakhstan 4-3.

• American Kyle Dake, who earned bronze in Tokyo, lost to Japan’s Daichi Takatani 20-12 in the 74 kg freestyle semifinal.He will wrestle for bronze today.

Reeves snaps long weightlifting drought

Olivia Reeves won the United States’ first Olympic gold medal in weightlifting in 24 years. Reeves lifted 117 kilograms (390 pounds) in the snatch and 145kg (320 pounds) in the clean and jerk for a total of 262kg to beat Mari Leivis Sanchez of Colombia by five kilograms in the women’s 71kg division.

The U.S. last won an Olympic gold medal in weightlifting in Sydney in 2000, when Tara Nott won the lightest women’s division. Reeves’ gold followed an historic bronze medal for Hampton Morris on Wednesday, the first Olympic medal of any kind for a U.S. men’s weightlifter since the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

• Kristina Teachout, who was beaten in the quarterfinals of the women’s 67-kilogram division by the eventual gold medalist, recovered in style to win a bronze medal after going through a repechage phase.

“I’ll probably cry about it later, but I’m so grateful,” Teachout, 18 said. “This is the culmination of everything that’s important to me and all that I’ve put into my craft.”

• Ana Patrícia and Duda of Brazil beat Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson of Canada in a tense, three-set final for gold in beach volleyball.

Wilkerson and Patrícia got into a finger-pointing shouting match across the net in the tiebreaking third set. The referee tried to keep the peace, but it was the Eiffel Tower Stadium DJ who cooled tempers on the sand by playing John Lennon’s “Imagine” over the PA system.

The players laughed and clapped. The crowd applauded and sang along.

Wilkerson was shown a yellow card.

The top-ranked Brazilians left with the gold medal 26-24, 12-21, 15-10.