ITA vs. NED
Netherlands Wins Men’s Volleyball Gold Medal
The Netherlands won its first gold medal in men’s volleyball by holding off Italy 15-12, 9-15, 16-14, 9-15, 17-15 in a match that took two and one half hours to complete on Sunday in the Omni Coliseum.
The match served as redemption for the Netherlands as they lost to Brazil in the gold medal match in 1992, and also finished second in the 1994 world championships to Italy.
For Italy, it was another disappointing finish in the Olympic Games. Having dominated European volleyball for the past 10 years and being widely procclaimed as the best team in the world for the past six years they once again came up short of their goal.
Trailing two sets to one the Italians rallied to force a fifth, and deciding, set. The Netherlands overcame a 4-0 deficit by answering with a 7-2 run to take a 7-6 lead, but it was all Italy after that. Andrea GIANI keyed a 7-1 run with three kills as Italy took a commanding 13-8 lead. Italy then wrapped up the fourth set on a kill by Samuele PAPI and a net violation on Dutch setter Peter BLANGE.
The fifth set was back-and-forth throughout and not until the winning point did either team hold a two-point lead. Italy had the first, and its only, chance to win the match leading 15-14 and holding service. But Bas VAN DE GOOR got the Dutch even with a middle attack. After some poor ball handling by the Italians Ron ZWERVER got the Dutch to within match point with a kill of the block. The game winning point came as a result of more poor Italian passing and Andrea GIANI’s attack hit the antenna to end the match.
Final Score: NED def. ITA 15-12, 9-15, 16-14, 9-15, 17-15.
"Just because you lose a match it doesn’t mean you’re weak," said Italy head coach Julio VELASCO. "It just means that someone else is stronger."
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| A record number of countries -- 74 -- earned medals during the 1996 Olympic Games. The countries that made their first appearance in the medal columns in 1996 included: Ukraine, Czech Republic, Kazakstan, Belarus, Slovakia, Armenia, Burundi, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Republic of Moldova, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Tonga, Georgia and Mozambique. |