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Rio de Janeiro • With nowhere to go but up, a disheveled Taylor Sander looked in the mirror and realized he forgot to shave.

The stubble forming above his top lip was coming in thicker, and it was probably time, but it didn't matter. The former BYU All-American and USA Volleyball were adrift, having opened these Rio Olympics 0-2 with a sweep at the hands of Canada and a 3-1 loss to Italy.

"I just didn't care what I looked like, didn't care how I was playing," Sander said.

Five days after the loss to Italy, two days after knocking off top-seeded Brazil on its storied home floor and mere minutes after keeping its quarterfinal hopes alive upon beating France 3-1 (25-22, 25-22, 14-25, 25-22) Saturday evening at the Maracanãzinho, Sander fleshed out the turnaround of his first week as an Olympian in three words:

"It's the mustache," he quipped.

But, maybe?

The Americans are no longer off course. They're back in the thick of it in Pool A, and much of the credit goes to first-time Olympian Sander and the seven other rookies on the squad that have bounced back from a nightmare start.

U.S. head coach John Speraw didn't skirt Sander's shortcomings in the stunning sweep against Canada on Aug. 7. His serves were off. His kill attempts were subpar. But, Speraw added, "I expect that he'll come back and be much better."

Good bet.

Following a breakout performance in the upset of No. 1 Brazil on Thursday, Sander didn't lose any of that momentum against France. The 24-year-old from Huntington Beach, Calif., had 11 kills. The last of the night brought the U.S. to match point when the French front line couldn't handle the force behind Sander's kill at the net.

"I think at this tournament, it's really difficult to come in when you're a rookie," Speraw said after beating France. "I think I knew going in that this was going to be a tournament where it may not go very smoothly for a lot of our guys. He's not the only one."

Sander's progress came after the 0-2 start, which meant more video sessions to study what he was doing wrong in the first two outings. The belief in himself, he said, is back. Not just for him, but for the entire team.

"I thought I played my best match of the Olympics, so yeah, I want to do that every match," he said. "That's my goal. My teammates really helped me tonight."

Fellow first-timer Aaron Russell and Olympic vet Matt Anderson led the way against France. The American duo had 18 points apiece.

The theme in the victory over France was comeback rallies early in the match — not in the fourth and final set. The U.S. and France traded points throughout, each side pulling even for 10 straight possessions. Setter Micah Christensen provided some breathing room late when he placed an errant ball over the French blockers, who couldn't locate it. The kill by Sander was followed by a misplaced attempt by the French that sealed the win for the U.S.

The U.S. flipped the first set on its head, setting the tone for the rest of the night. Trailing 17-10 and on their way to an early 1-0 deficit, the Americans ended the first set on a 15-5 run to win, 25-22. Like the stunning upset of No. 1 seed Brazil on Thursday night, Sander and Anderson led the way. During that timely run, Sander had two kills and an ace. Anderson had two kills and an ace.

The second set ended similarly.

France took a 16-14 lead halfway through, but once again, the Americans rallied. The U.S. took a 20-19 lead on a kill by Sander. Back-to-back blocks from Sander and Russell upped the lead to 22-19 before the U.S. closed it out.

Just as they did against a raucous crowd Thursday night against Brazil, this young group shoved back when it needed to. For Speraw and the coaching staff, the battle has been simplifying the tall task. The 0-2 start has now turned into a 2-2 record with one match remaining Monday morning against last-place Mexico. A win Monday, coupled by a Canada loss to Italy, gets the Americans into the knockout round.

"I think it's really hard, but we've been talking about these thematic ideas about what it means to play one point at a time," Speraw said. "Not just saying it, but understanding it. Certainly this tournament tests that more than any other."

Twitter: @chriskamrani —

Storylines

R Team USA def. France 3-1 (25-22, 25-22, 14-25, 25-22).

• Team USA faces Mexico in final match of Pool A play Monday at 8:35 a.m. MDT.

• Former BYU All-American Taylor Sander has 11 kills against France.