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Friday, September 29
U.S. shut out of bronze medal
Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia -- Maybe after Logan Tom catches up on her
homework at Stanford, she'll realize what the U.S. women's
volleyball accomplished at the Sydney Olympics.
"It'll hit me in a few weeks, probably when I'm sitting on the
couch," the 19-year-old said Saturday (Friday night ET) after the
Americans had lost to Brazil in the bronze medal match Saturday.
"That's when I'll realize what an awesome environment this was,
and what a special experience this was."
|  | | Erika Coimbra and Brazil were too quick for the United States on Saturday. |
Brazil had too much quickness and strength for Tom and her
teammates, winning its second straight bronze by defeating the
worn-out Americans 25-18, 25-22, 25-21.
Taking fourth was still a remarkable achievement for the United
States, which finished seventh in Atlanta and entered this
tournament ranked 10th in the world. It wasn't expected to
challenge for a medal until 2004 at the earliest.
"I'm really proud of this team," said Tara Cross-Battle, who
played her last Olympic match at age 32. "We have nothing to hold
our heads down about. We were coming in here ranked 10th, and
nobody believed in us but ourselves, and I think we did really
well."
With only two players with Olympic experience -- Cross-Battle and
Danielle Scott -- the Americans were just hoping to make the
quarterfinals. They did that, and beat a tenacious South Korean
team to get within a victory of the gold-medal match before losing
in five sets in the semifinals to Russia.
That loss took a lot out of the U.S. team, which appeared
drained and without much spring in their legs early on against
Brazil. Hitters Leila Barros, Virna Dias and Erika Coimbra helped
Brazil jump to an 18-9 lead and an easy opening-game win.
"We did come out a little flat," said Tom, a Stanford
sophomore at Stanford who will head back to school a week after
classes began. "We didn't have the fire we usually have. Our fire
and our determination usually pulls us through a lot. I would say
we beat ourselves a little bit out there."
The U.S. team's best chance for a comeback came in the second
game, when Scott and Sarah Noriega teamed up to stuff Dias on two
straight points to finish a 5-0 run and give the Americans a 13-10
lead.
Brazil answered with a 4-1 run of its own, and Dias, in her
comfort zone on the left side of the net, broke a 21-all tie with
three impressive kills in four points.
The Americans rallied in the third game, getting within 24-21,
but Dias crushed a ball off the block to win it.
"When we started this program in 1997, we felt like we could
target Brazil as the team we most want to be like, because of their
style of play, their enthusiasm and what they do for volleyball,"
said coach Mick Haley, who will take over the program at Southern
California. "We thought maybe we could repay them today by beating
them, but it didn't work out the way we had hoped."
Asked whether the team could match its success, or improve on
it, in Athens, Cross-Battle was cautiously optimistic.
"It'll be difficult," she said. "We're having a new coach
brought in, and no one knows who it is right now, so I think if the
young players will come back and stay together, then it'll be a
good team."
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