USA men swept by Italy in crucial World Cup match

by Paul Soriano USA Volleyball Manager, Public Relations & Publications

Italy inched closer to qualifying for the 2004 Olympics with a crucial World Cup win Friday afternoon.

Andrea Sartoretti scored a match-high 15 points to lead four players in double figures as Italy swept the USA men's national volleyball team to begin the final round of the World Cup at Yoyogi Stadium (Thursday night in the USA).

Sartoretti had 10 kills, three service aces and two blocks in the 25-12, 29-27, 25-22 victory that improved Italy to 8-1 in the first Olympic qualifier with just two matches to play.

Samuele Papi scored 13 points; Luigi Mastrangelo added 12 points and Paolo Cozzi tallied 11 points as the Italians easily won the battle of two teams with identical 7-1 records to begin the match.

Italy held a commanding edge in blocking (12-4) and service aces (4-0) as it won its fifth match in a row since a 3-1 loss to Brazil on Nov. 20.

"We started off badly," said Team USA head coach Doug Beal. "We had receiving problems early. Although we got better later, we could not get into a rhythm. We had opportunities to control the second and third sets, but could not take advantage of them. We have to forget about our loss today and play our best tomorrow."

Tomorrow's test will not be any easier for the Americans -- the team plays the world's top-ranked team: Brazil.

The top three teams at the 12-team, two-week, round-robin tournament earn automatic bids to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, and with its win Italy greatly improved its chances of finishing in the top three.

Brazil (the defending world champion) and Serbia and Montenegro (the defending Olympic gold medalist) held down the top two spots in the tournament to begin play Friday with perfect 8-0 records. The two teams play each other later in the day for sole possession of first place in the standings.

"Today's match was disappointing," said USA setter and team captain Lloy Ball (Woodburn, Ind.). "We should have been better and we know we could have played better. Our problem was offense, which was my responsibility. That is why Italy looked much stronger than they really are."

Riley Salmon (League City, Texas) scored 14 points on 13 kills and one block to lead fourth-place Team USA, which will need to win its remaining two matches and hope for losses from the three teams ahead of it in the standings to have a chance to crack the top three.

Italy finishes with Japan and Serbia and Montenegro. Brazil plays the United States and Japan, while Serbia and Montenegro faces France and Italy to end the tournament.

Team USA's final match on Sunday, Nov. 30 will be against the world's fifth-ranked team, France. The United States is ranked 10th in the world.

Ryan Millar (Palmdale, Calif.) and Clay Stanley (Honolulu, Hawaii) each scored eight points while Reid Priddy (Richmond, Va.) and Tom Hoff (Park Ridge, Ill.) chipped in with six points apiece as Team USA saw its World Cup winning streak end at six.

In other early action on Friday, Venezuela defeated China, 3-1.

For more information, go to the USA Volleyball web site.