Netherlands captain Balkestein-Grothues out with hurt ankle

(Photo: The Associated Press)RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Netherlands women's volleyball captain Maret Balkestein-Grothues will not play in Wednesday's third group match against Italy because of an ankle injury sustained in a five-set loss to the United States on Monday.

Coach Giovanni Guidetti told The Associated Press in a message Tuesday via Twitter that Balkestein-Grothues might need more than four or five days to recover, a blow for a determined Dutch team that has played spectacular volleyball thus far at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

"Thanks for all the sweet messages and support," Balkestein-Grothues posted on her Twitter account Tuesday afternoon. "Now it's difficult to say what the exact…