Stanley scores 20 as USA men win third-straight vs. Japan

by Paul Soriano USA Volleyball Manager, Public Relations & Publications

Clay Stanley scored a team-high 20 points to lead four players in double figures as the USA men's national volleyball team capped a four-match tour in Japan with a 3-1 win Thursday night in Osaka, Japan.

Stanley (Honolulu, Hawaii) had 19 kills and one service ace in the 20-25, 25-22, 25-19, 28-26 victory as Team USA won the final three matches against Japan after losing the first meeting on April 24.

Stanley, the son of Volleyball Hall of Fame inductee and 1968 Olympian Jon Stanley, was the leading scorer for the United States in the four matches with 63 points on 56 kills, two aces and five blocks.

Dave McKienzie scored 16 points, Kevin Barnett added 13 points and Scott Bunker posted 11 points in Thursday's win as the United States improved its season record to 9-1.

McKienzie (Littleton, Colo.) had 14 kills and two blocks, Barnett (Naperville, Ill.) tallied 10 kills, two aces and one block and Bunker (Beaver, Utah) registered six kills, a match-high three blocks, two aces and a hitting percentage of 1.000 (six kills, zero errors, six attempts).

Tom Hoff (Park Ridge, Ill.) added seven points, Chris Seiffert (Laguna Nigel, Calif.) had three points and Gabe Gardner (San Clemente, Calif.) posted two points to cap the scoring for Team USA.

Takahiro Yamamoto scored a match-high 22 points on 20 kills and two aces to lead Japan, which will attempt to qualify for the Olympics next month when it hosts the Asian Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Tokyo from May 22-30.

The next competition for the United States will not be until it begins its pre-Olympic journey to the 2004 Summer Games by playing eight matches in Texas in June and July

The United States will first host Russia in a three-match series in Houston from June 25-28 before hosting a Four-Nation Tournament in Austin from June 30 to July 5 along with Argentina, Russia and a country to be determined.

For sixth-ranked Team USA, which qualified for the 2004 Olympics by winning the NORCECA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico back in January, the Texas Tours will be an opportunity to face some quality competition before heading to Athens, Greece, in August.

Russia, which is currently ranked No. 5 in the world, earned a silver medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. The Russians qualified for Athens by winning the Europe Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Leipzig, Germany, in January.

Argentina is ranked No. 8 in the world and is looking to improve upon its fourth-place finish at the 2000 Olympic Games. Argentina qualified for Athens by winning the South America Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Caracas, Venezuela, in January.

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