Men's Quarterfinals / Match 34
ITA vs. ARG
Italy Continues to Roll
Italy continued its march to the gold medal match with a 12-15, 15-9, 15-7, 15-4 victory over Bulgaria in a quarterfinal match on Wednesday at the Omni Coliseum.
Italy, a perfect 6-0 thus far in the tournament, played the match without the services of Andrea GIANI who injured a knee in practice. He is expected to return for the Italians' semifinal match against Yugoslovia.
Andrea GARDINI and Samuele PAPI each had 20 kills to lead the Italians. Bulgaria, which will meet Brazil in a classification match, was led by Marcos MILINKOVIC who had 29 kills and 1 block.
Final Score: ITA def. ARG 12-15, 15-9, 15-7, 15-4.
"Our team is subject to surprises like any other," said Italy's head coach Julio VELASCO. "The Olympic Games don't measure skill. It's not a final measure of success and never has been. The Olympics is an adventure. This is its specific charm. There are human factors that can't be measured."
CUB vs. RUS
Russian Federation Advances to Semifinals
The Russian Federation continued its amazing success story in the Olympic Games by advancing to the semifinals with a 15-13, 17-15, 15-11 victory over Cuba on Wednesday in the Omni Coliseum.
This marks the eighth time in its 10 Olympic Games appearances that Russia has finished no lower than fourth place. The Russians have won three gold medals and two silver medals in their incredible history.
Russia, which began the tournament 0-2, will meet the Netherlands in the semifinals. Cuba will meet Bulgaria in a classification match.
Final Score: RUS def. CUB 15-13, 17-15, 15-11.
YUG vs. BRA
Yugoslovia Upsets Brazil
Yugoslovia recorded a major upset with a 15-6, 15-5, 8-15, 14-16, 15-10 victory over defending Olympic champion Brazil in a hotly contested match on Wednesday at the Omni Coliseum.
Yugoslovia, which is competing in only its second Olympic Games, used a strong serving and blocking match to record the victory. Brazil showed why it is the defending champion by fighting back to force a fifth set, but in the end the defensive prowess of the Yugoslovians proved to be too much. The victory earns Yugoslovia a berth in the semifinals, where it will meet the winner of the Italy-Argentina match.
Vladimir BATEZ paced Yugoslovia with 35 kills, while Vladimir GRBIC added 31 kills and 3 blocks. Brazil, which now drops into the classification matches, was led by Alexandre SAMUEL who had 40 kills.
Final Score: YUG def. BRA 15-6, 15-5, 8-15, 14-16, 15-10.
"There is nothing to compare to the Olympic Games," said Slobodan KOVAC (YUG). "But we still haven't said the last word."
NED vs. BUL
Netherlands Fights off Bulgaria Challenge
The Netherlands turned back a stern challenge from Bulgaria in advancing to the semifinals with a 16-14, 9-15, 15-3, 15-13 victory on Wednesday at the Omni Coliseum.
The Netherlands will meet the winner of the Cuba-Russian Federation match in the semifinals, while Bulgaria slips to the classification matches.
The Netherlands was led by Olof VAN DER MEULEN, who recorded 25 kills and added a service ace. Bulgaria was paced by Lubomir GANEV, who had 19 kills and two service aces.
Final Score: NED def. BUL 16-14, 9-15, 15-3, 15-13.
"Today was the day of the beautiful loss," said Bulgarian attacker Dimo TONEV. "We played our best match against the Netherlands in two years and we still lost."
KOR vs. USA
Korea Pastes USA
Korea avenged a pool play loss to the United States with a 15-12, 15-5, 15-11 victory in a classification match on Wednesday in the Omni Coliseum.
The United States had worn down the Korean team when they met in pool play and cruised to a 3-1 victory, but an unemotional USA team, fresh from a quarterfinal loss to Cuba Tuesday evening, was no match for the precision of Korea.
Korea now advances to meet the Netherlands in the match to determine fifth and sixth places. The United States will face Germany in the seventh and eighth place match.
KIM Nam-Soon led Korea with 18 kills, while CHANG Yoon-Hee added 15 kills, 3 blocks and 1 service ace. Tara CROSS-BATTLE led the United States with 20 kills.
Final Score: KOR def. USA 15-12, 15-5, 15-11.
"Because the United States lost to Cuba we felt that they would be less excited for this match," said Korea head coach KIM Cheol-Yong. "It feels great to be playing for fifth place and we will do our best tomorrow."
NED vs. GER
Netherlands Rallies Past Germany
The Netherlands overcame a two set to one deficit on its way to a 15-12, 9-15, 13-15, 15-9, 15-10 victory over Germany in a classification match on Wednesday in the Omni Coliseum.
The Netherlands now faces Korea in the battle for fifth and sixth places, while Germany meets the United States in the seventh and eighth place match.
Germany passed the ball well in the first three sets and controlled the tempo of the match as a result. The Netherlands then began serving more aggressively in the fourth and fifth sets, which resulted in more easy scoring opportunities.
Henriette WEERSING led the Netherlands with 28 kills and 2 service aces, while Elles LEFERINK had 24 kills, 2 blocks and 3 service aces. Sylvia ROLL led Germany with 32 kills.
Final Score: NED def. GER 15-12, 9-15, 13-15, 15-9, 15-10.
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