(30 July 1996; Day 11)
Two-time world champion Italy heads the list of qualifiers into the quarterfinal round of the men's volleyball competition, which begins on Wednesday (31 July) at the Omni Coliseum.
Italy completed the preliminary round with a perfect 5-0 record and did not lose a set along the way. The Italians will be seeking their first-ever gold medal despite being one of the dominant teams in the world during the course of the last 15 years.
Argentina, the fourth seed from pool A, will be the Italians opening round opponent in the quarterfinals. Argentina finished pool play with a 2-3 record, which included victories over Brazil and Bulgaria. The winner of this match will meet the winner of the Brazil-Yugoslovia match.
Cuba enters the quarterfinals as the top seed from pool B with a record of 4-1. Cuba will face a very dangerous Russian Federation team at 22:00 on Wednesday. Russia has won more medals than any team in history, including three gold medals. The winner of this match will face the winner of the Netherlands-Bulgaria match.
The Netherlands, the second seed from pool B, lost only to Italy and will face Bulgaria in its opening round match. The Netherlands, which captured the silver medal in Barcelona, has emerged as one of the serious challengers to Italy for the gold medal. Bulgaria is the third seed from pool A and finished with a record of 3-2, but did come up with a clutch victory against the United States. Facing elimination with a loss, Bulgaria rallied from a two set to one deficit to claim a 3-2 victory and a berth in the quarterfinals.
The other opening round quarterfinal match features Brazil and Yugoslovia at 13:30 in the Omni Coliseum. Brazil, which lost its first two matches, rallied to win three straight including a strong 3-0 sweep of previously undefeated Cuba. After being in danger of not advancing to quarterfinal play, Brazil is now one of the hottest teams in the tournament. Yugoslovia upset Russia in its first match of the tournament and used that momentum to post a 3-2 record, which was good for the number three seed.
This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Roger McAfee.
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| Pin trading was one of the most popular Olympic sports, with more than 1.2 million pins changing hands during the Games in the Coca Cola Pin Trading Center at Centennial Olympic Park. |