Women's Volleyball Preliminaries/Pool A
USA vs. JPN
USA Clinches Quarterfinal Berth
The United States clinched a berth in the medal round with a 15-11, 15-7, 15-12 victory over Japan on Friday in the Omni Coliseum. The victory improves the United States record to 3-1, while the loss drops Japan's record to 1-3 in pool A. The United States fell behind 9-0 and 10-1 in the first set before Yoko ZETTERLUND replaced Lori ENDICOTT as the setter. With ZETTERLUND at the controls the USA reeled off the next 11 points to take an 11-10 lead. After Japan tied the contest at 11-11 the USA ran off another four straight points to win set one. Trailing 2-0 in set two the USA stormed back with a 7-0 run. Japan used a 3-0 run to cut the USA lead to 10-7, but Caren KEMNER had two kills and a block keying a 5-0 run for a set two victory. Japan held a 10-6 third-set lead before the USA rallied to take an 11-10 lead. KEMNER tied the score at 12-12 and put the USA up 13-12 with another kill. Two Japanese hitting errors gave the United States the sweep. Tammy LILEY had 13 kills to lead the United States attack. Japan was led by Ikumi OGAKE who had 14 kills and 2 blocks.
Final Score: USA def. JPN 15-11, 15-7, 15-12.
"We were slow out of the blocks again tonight," said USA head coach Terry LISKEVYCH. "My team left their hearts out on the floor tonight. Yoko ZETTERLUND was outstanding as well as Tammy LILEY."
BRA vs. CAN
Brazil Remains Unbeaten
Brazil remained undefeated in pool B with a methodical 15-6, 15-6, 15-11 victory over Canada on Friday in the Omni Coliseum. Brazil can capture the top seed in pool B with a victory over Germany on Sunday, 28 July. Canada dropped to 0-4 for the competition and has yet to win a set. Canada never seriously challenged in any of the sets as Brazil proved much to powerful.
Final Score: BRA def. CAN 15-6, 15-6, 15-11.
CHN vs. UKR
China Remains Undefeated
The People's Repbulic of China remained the only undefeated team in Pool A with a 15-4, 15-4, 15-6 victory over Ukraine on Friday at the University of Georgia in Athens in a match that was completed in just over an hour. The victory, which improved China's record to 4-0 in pool play, virtually assures them of the top seed in the pool with only a match against Japan remaining. Ukraine dropped to 0-4 and has yet to win a set during the competition. After falling behind 4-1 in the first set, China scored the next 14 points to claim the win. The Chinese dominated the action throughout the remainder of the match. LI Yan paced the Chinese attack with 14 kills, 3 blocks and 1 service ace. Olga KOLOMIYETS led Ukraine with 13 kills.
Final Score: CHN def. UKR 15-4, 15-4, 15-6.
"Our serving and defense were good today," said China head coach LANG Ping. "Ukraine played well and has some potential, but we controlled the game. We have to prepare for our next match because Japan is a good team and it will be a tough match for us."
GER vs. CUB
Cuba Records Second Straight Victory
Cuba recorded its second straight victory with a 15-6, 15-8, 15-4 victory over Germany on Friday at the University of Georgia in Athens in Pool B action. Cuba dropped its second match of the competition to Brazil, but has since rebounded to post victories over Peru and Germany. Germany dropped to 2-2 in pool play, but still remains alive in the quest to advance to the quarterfinals as it closes out play with a match against Brazil.
Final Score: CUB def. GER 15-6, 15-8, 15-4.
RUS vs. PER
Russia Clinches Quarterfinal Berth
The Russian Federation clinched a berth in the women's volleyball quarterfinal round with a 15-11, 15-8, 15-1 victory over Peru on Friday at the Omni Coliseum. Russia improved to 3-1 in group play and will face Cuba in its final match, which should determine the second place finisher in group B. Peru, which dropped to 0-4 in group play, had its chances for advancing to the quarterfinal crushed by the Russians. Elizaveta TICHTCHENKO led Russia with 8 kills and 4 blocks, while Elena GODINA recorded 7 kills and 1 service ace. Peru was paced by Milagros CAMERE PUGA with 11 kills, 1 block and 1 service ace. Peru will face Canada in its final match of the Olympic Games. Final Score: RUS def. PER 15-11, 15-8, 15-1.
"This was not a complex match for us," said Russian head coach Nikolai KARPOL. "We made to many errors early in the match, but we started playing better in the final two sets."
NED vs. KOR
The Netherlands Continues on Comeback Trail
The Netherlands continued its surge in an attempt to advance to the medal round with a 15-11, 15-12, 7-15, 15-8 victory over Korea on Friday in the Omni Coliseum. The Netherlands, which dropped its first two matches of the competition to the People's Republic of China and the United States, has rebounded to post back-to-back wins against Japan and Korea. The Netherlands concludes group A play with a match against Ukraine and a victory would go a long way in securing a berth in the quarterfinals. Korea dropped to 2-2 in the competition and will play the United States in its final group play match. Tie-breakers are determined by determining the percentage of sets won. Henriette WEERSING once again led the Netherlands with a tournament-best 46 kills. Cintha BOERSMA added 15 kills and 3 blocks. CHANG Yoon-Hee led Korea with 23 kills and 1 service ace. Final Score: NED def. KOR 15-11, 15-12, 7-15, 15-8.
"I'm happy we won because this was a hard match," said the Netherlands head coach Bert GOEDKOOP. "You can't get frustrated playing the Koreans, you have to stay focused and play hard. They force you into long rallys which makes you tired."
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