USA men beat France, finish fourth at World Cup
by Paul Soriano USA Volleyball Manager, Public Relations & Publications
The United States prevailed with pride on the line.
Riley Salmon scored a team-high 18 points to lead five players in double figures as the USA men's national volleyball team finished the World Cup on a winning note with a 3-1 win over France in Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday afternoon (Saturday night in the United States).
Salmon (League City, Texas) had 16 kills, one block and one service ace in the 25-19, 20-25, 26-24, 28-26 victory that clinched fourth place for the United States in the World Cup.
France, which captured the bronze medal at the 2002 Men's World Championships, is ranked No. 5 in the world.
"We are happy to finish the tournament with a win," said head coach Doug Beal of 10th-ranked Team USA. "Before the match we talked.about the importance of playing against one of the best teams in the world. We played hard.It was good to win against a good team like France."
On Saturday, Team USA's chances of finishing in the top three and earning a berth in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, came to an end with a 3-0 loss to Brazil.
On Sunday, the Americans regained their winning ways to finish the tournament with an 8-3 record and in fourth place for the third straight time. The United States, which won the World Cup in 1985 and finished third in 1991, also finished fourth in 1989, 1995 and 1999.
Ryan Millar (Palmdale, Calif.) scored 17 points on 13 kills and four blocks for Team USA, while Brook Billings (Santa Barbara, Calif.) added 13 points on nine kills and four blocks.
Reid Priddy (Richmond, Va.) chipped in with 12 points and Tom Hoff (Park Ridge, Ill.) posted 11 points as the United States finished the 2003 season with a record of 23-6.
Brazil (10-0 to begin play on Sunday), Italy (9-2) and Serbia and Montenegro (9-2) all qualified for the 2004 Olympics on Saturday.
The United States gets another chance to qualify for the 2004 Olympics at the NORCECA continental qualifier in Puerto Rico next year (Jan. 4-10).
Laurent Capet scored a match-high 29 points on 25 kills, two blocks and two aces to lead France, which finished the tournament with a record of 7-4 and in fifth place.
In other early action on Sunday, Serbia and Montenegro beat Italy, Venezuela defeated Egypt and China downed Tunisia-all by 3-1 scores.
For more information, go to the USA Volleyball web site.
The United States prevailed with pride on the line.
Riley Salmon scored a team-high 18 points to lead five players in double figures as the USA men's national volleyball team finished the World Cup on a winning note with a 3-1 win over France in Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday afternoon (Saturday night in the United States).
Salmon (League City, Texas) had 16 kills, one block and one service ace in the 25-19, 20-25, 26-24, 28-26 victory that clinched fourth place for the United States in the World Cup.
France, which captured the bronze medal at the 2002 Men's World Championships, is ranked No. 5 in the world.
"We are happy to finish the tournament with a win," said head coach Doug Beal of 10th-ranked Team USA. "Before the match we talked.about the importance of playing against one of the best teams in the world. We played hard.It was good to win against a good team like France."
On Saturday, Team USA's chances of finishing in the top three and earning a berth in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, came to an end with a 3-0 loss to Brazil.
On Sunday, the Americans regained their winning ways to finish the tournament with an 8-3 record and in fourth place for the third straight time. The United States, which won the World Cup in 1985 and finished third in 1991, also finished fourth in 1989, 1995 and 1999.
Ryan Millar (Palmdale, Calif.) scored 17 points on 13 kills and four blocks for Team USA, while Brook Billings (Santa Barbara, Calif.) added 13 points on nine kills and four blocks.
Reid Priddy (Richmond, Va.) chipped in with 12 points and Tom Hoff (Park Ridge, Ill.) posted 11 points as the United States finished the 2003 season with a record of 23-6.
Brazil (10-0 to begin play on Sunday), Italy (9-2) and Serbia and Montenegro (9-2) all qualified for the 2004 Olympics on Saturday.
The United States gets another chance to qualify for the 2004 Olympics at the NORCECA continental qualifier in Puerto Rico next year (Jan. 4-10).
Laurent Capet scored a match-high 29 points on 25 kills, two blocks and two aces to lead France, which finished the tournament with a record of 7-4 and in fifth place.
In other early action on Sunday, Serbia and Montenegro beat Italy, Venezuela defeated Egypt and China downed Tunisia-all by 3-1 scores.
For more information, go to the USA Volleyball web site.
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