Olympics: Former BYU star Taylor Sander enjoying his rise in Rio for U.S. volleyball

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Rio de Janeiro • Taylor Sander tried to tap into his memory bank, but this specific state of euphoria just didn't allow it. In an effort to rattle off all the teams he and the U.S. men's volleyball team had beaten within the last six days, the outside hitter with the outrageous leaping ability and a ceremonial Olympic mustache almost got there.

He named all but one. Sander, the former BYU All-American from Huntington Beach, Calif., spoke of the gut-checks Team USA faced three days into its Olympic experience. It's all been somewhat of a blur. The good kind.

The haziness has blocked out the 0-2 start to the tournament in Brazil. The tale now is of a team that has won four straight matches. And each one along the way was its own manner of an elimination match.

Leading the way is Sander, the mellow high-riser, whose patented audible kills run counter to his easy-going personality. When the former Cougar first burst onto the national-team scene two years ago, U.S. captain David Lee called him the "new franchise player" for Team USA. Lee, who won gold with the U.S. in Beijing eight years ago, has labeled Sander as the X-factor of this team.

"When he's in the game and he's confident," Lee said, "he's one of the best players in the world, and we need that guy every night."

Sander's delivered when called upon. During this four-game win streak that has the U.S. into the Olympic semifinal round against Italy on Friday afternoon, Sander has 48 points and 32 kills.

Ten days before Sander and the U.S. swept Poland 3-0 in the quarterfinals, he stood mystified after a nerve-filled debut in a 3-0 loss to Canada. Now teeming with confidence, Sander isn't worried about the stage or opponent.

"I'm playing loose, I guess," he said. "I just want to keep doing that."

There are the rare moments that the significance of the stage hits Sander. It's typically when he sorts out the crowd inside The Maracanãzinho arena to locate his parents, Steve and Kera, his younger brother Brenden, and his wife, Rachel. He blows her a kiss. It helps him decompress before the first serve flies.

Friday's semifinal is a shot at redemption for the U.S., not just from its 3-1 loss to Italy in the second match of the tournament. The Italians swept the U.S. in the 2012 Olympic quarterfinals in London four years ago.

As only an authentic Southern Californian could, Sander leaned on an appropriate geographical adjective to describe his Rio adventure so far.

"It's pretty," he said, before pausing and adding, "pretty gnarly."

ckamrani@sltrib.com

Twitter: @chriskamrani —

A rise in Rio: Taylor Sander

Age • 24

Sport • Men's volleyball

Hometown • Huntington Beach, Calif.

College • BYU

Residence • Huntington Beach, Calif.

Rise in Rio • During Team USA's four-game win streak, Sander has 48 points and 32 kills in wins over Brazil, France, Mexico and Poland. Sander had 12 points against Italy in the 3-1 loss on Aug. 9.

International career • Named 2014 FIVB World League final MVP and Best Spiker, helping U.S. win gold medal. Made his national-team debut at the 2014 World Championship qualifier. Became a starter in Year 1 with the U.S.

College career • Four-time AVCA All-American at BYU, three-time first-team All-American. Named 2014 AVCA Player of the Year. 2013 and 2014 MPSF Player of the Year. 2013 and 2014 MPSF Tournament MVP. BYU record-holder for single-match for aces with nine and career aces (182). Led Cougars to 2013 NCAA Tournament final and semifinal appearance in 2014. —

Olympic men's volleyball

P Semifinal: Team USA vs. Italy

Friday, 10 a.m. MDT