It may not have been the medal she ultimately wanted, but former Cal volleyball star Carli Lloyd is leaving Rio with some hardware.

Lloyd and the U.S. women's volleyball team defeated The Netherlands 25-23, 25-27, 25-22, 25-19 in the Bronze Medal Match of the 2016 Summer Olympics on Saturday, rebounding from a heartbreaking loss in Thursday's semifinals and sending Team USA back home on a winning note.

Lloyd and the U.S. fell to Serbia in five sets on Thursday, playing the majority of the match without star middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo. It left Team USA on its heels after entering the Olympics as the No. 1 team in the world and the favorite to win the gold medal for the first time ever.

But the Americans were able to shelve their disappointment for a thorough victory over The Netherlands. Lloyd played in the first two sets and registered four assists. She played the entire Olympics as the backup setter and helped Team USA win every match it played besides the loss to the Serbians.

Lloyd became the first Cal volleyball player ever to be selected to an Olympic team when head coach Karch Kiraly announced the roster last month. She joined the U.S. National Team program shortly after graduating from Cal in 2011 and came back from injuries to excel in international competition last year and in 2016. Lloyd was named the MVP of the 2015 Pan Am Games.

Lloyd is the only Cal volleyball student-athlete ever to be named the AVCA National Player of the Year and was a three-time All-American for the Golden Bears. She helped Cal reach its only two appearances ever in the NCAA in Final Four, including a trip to the NCAA title match in 2010.