The Olympic Games in Beijing - Elimination Round

Berg 3 x 2 Italy

Great match!!!!! The American girls surely deserved this victory! Way to go, girls!

I hope the USA team could play the same level against Cuba. I'm pretty sure Berg's serves will destroy the Cuban reception!

Quote from Nastja

Interesting that all teams from Pool A won, with the exception of Japan, which was obvious....
Maybe you get what i want to say with this

To be honest, I was expecting teams in Pool B to win most matches.

Now, im rooting for Brazil.

USA going up against Cuba will be hard..obviously.

Quote from Celso

Berg 3 x 2 Italy

How you're right, Celso. How you're right....

Seeing how Italy played, I couldn't stop screaming "My eyes!! MY EEEEYES!!"
Are we sure they were on court? Maybe they were just 3D holograms?

Oh, my God. I'm almost happy they're out, I couldn't stand to play like this against Cuba. I like the US girls, so I'm not sad when we lose against them.
Soooo, now I'm totally rooting for them. And for Brazil. And for China. Ok, the only team I'm not rooting for is Cuba.
Let's see what happens next.

HEATHER BOWN'S BLOG BEFORE THE MATCH:

Well its D-day…win or go home as they say. It's early morning and I am in the training room… again. I have to say I have most of my down time in here and it's become the place where I can think.

And today there is cause for a bit of concentration and thinking. We have our quarterfinal match tonight against Italy at 10 p.m. All the girls are really excited about our draw. But the simple fact that there was a draw for our playoff brackets is a mystery to a lot of people. Especially since it’s a 2nd place against a 2nd place… but whatever. We have to go out there ready to face anyone and bring our "A" game.

I just wanna keep this short and sweet and share a quote that really means a lot to me as an athlete and when I get caught up in the bigger picture of athletics I just have to remember one thing…

“Somewhere behind the athlete you've become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back... play for her."

Congratulations to China and USA for making it to the semis. It's been since 1984 when we had no European team reaching the semis.

Russia lost it when they could win. They were unable to hold on to their lead. The setting was so terrible. They had good spikers but the sets to the outside hitter were simply too low. On the other hand, the set to the opposite hitter was going away from the court. Spikers were unable to get sets that suited their capabilities. That is why China was able to capitalize on their blocks. China played catch up but they were successful enough to win the sets when it mattered. I honestly thought they would play 5 sets but Russia had to play terribly. It makes one miss Karpol's slow and brutal style. Although it was simple, many technical elements were perfect. Russia could block, spike, and receive well to vanquish opponents. And Karpol knew how to make his players react when the matches get tough. He shouts but that's how you get the message in the Russian players' heads. Tonight their defense was slow and players were out of it mentally. I think they should get a setter as well. There is also the possiblity that the Italian style of volleyball was not compatible with the Russian mentality.

In the other game, the USA exposed what I had suspected for some time: Italy's offense can be too simple and predictable. Despite this, Italy has been recently successful because it was efficient in attacking, could defend well, and had good setters. This time, they could not adjust to their opponent. In the 4th set, they could not receive and dig efficiently. In the 5th set, they lost their confidence that their attacks were predictable for the US to set up a block. I credit the USA's success to two things: their fighting spirit and the abilities of their coach. It was a good combination. The players never gave up but when things got tough, they lacked direction. Lang Ping provided this by adjusting their strategy every now and then. Timely substitutions also gave them an edge. Berg's serves carved up Italy and Tom's backrow spikes struck fear. In the 5th set, Italy kept on watching the side hitters but Scott-Aruda and Bown pounced on them with quick spikes. This was possible because, again, the blocks were set up early making it easy to dig an easy ball to the setter. It reminds you of Sydney 2000 but Korea had a better fight in them. For the 3rd time, Italy's adventure in the OG ended at the QF. A funny thing is that despite the supposed USA-CHN rivalry at the global stage, the home crowd cheered for the USA. Of course, it was for Lang Ping.

I thought Pool B was the tougher group but with the QF result, Pool A had better teams. I would credit that to mental and pyschological strength.

In the SF, I would give the slight edge to Cuba. They had an easier time so far and to me have not shown their full potential. They have kept pace with strong opponents and can fight when pressed. But they win by just enough even when playing relaxed. USA had to squeeze through China, Poland, and Italy to reach this far. But Cuba really tore them apart. I'm sure they'll make adjustments in their receives and blocks during Wednesday's practice session. Lang Ping has adjusted several times during this OG. However, Cuba has adjusted when she adjusts. This happened 2x: in the 1996 OG and the 1998 World Championships. This time, both teams are mentally strong but Cuba is peaking at the right moment. I'm predicting a close match but pray for Cuba's success.

China has also been mentally strong. With their fast offense and combination plays they are well-suited to face Brazil. Japan showed that Brazil can be vulnerable to strong serves, confusing offensive tactics, and blocking. If China keeps up with Brazil, it is possible that Brazil wll breakdown mentally like it did several times. Blocking Brazil's spikes and making successful attacks frustrates their players a lot. With China playing at home with such high stakes, it could push the Chinese team to reach the finals. Maybe 5 sets.

I'm shocked!
I watched this game. American block was amaizing. I can't believe, that Italian lost. Italian play burn out.

Caprara said after the match that he would take the fall and leave the RUS NT.

Quote from ike74ph

Congratulations to China and USA for making it to the semis. It's been since 1984 when we had no European team reaching the semis.

Russia lost it when they could win. They were unable to hold on to their lead. The setting was so terrible. They had good spikers but the sets to the outside hitter were simply too low. On the other hand, the set to the opposite hitter was going away from the court. Spikers were unable to get sets that suited their capabilities. That is why China was able to capitalize on their blocks. China played catch up but they were successful enough to win the sets when it mattered. I honestly thought they would play 5 sets but Russia had to play terribly. It makes one miss Karpol's slow and brutal style. Although it was simple, many technical elements were perfect. Russia could block, spike, and receive well to vanquish opponents. And Karpol knew how to make his players react when the matches get tough. He shouts but that's how you get the message in the Russian players' heads. Tonight their defense was slow and players were out of it mentally. I think they should get a setter as well. There is also the possiblity that the Italian style of volleyball was not compatible with the Russian mentality.

In the other game, the USA exposed what I had suspected for some time: Italy's offense can be too simple and predictable. Despite this, Italy has been recently successful because it was efficient in attacking, could defend well, and had good setters. This time, they could not adjust to their opponent. In the 4th set, they could not receive and dig efficiently. In the 5th set, they lost their confidence that their attacks were predictable for the US to set up a block. I credit the USA's success to two things: their fighting spirit and the abilities of their coach. It was a good combination. The players never gave up but when things got tough, they lacked direction. Lang Ping provided this by adjusting their strategy every now and then. Timely substitutions also gave them an edge. Berg's serves carved up Italy and Tom's backrow spikes struck fear. In the 5th set, Italy kept on watching the side hitters but Scott-Aruda and Bown pounced on them with quick spikes. This was possible because, again, the blocks were set up early making it easy to dig an easy ball to the setter. It reminds you of Sydney 2000 but Korea had a better fight in them. For the 3rd time, Italy's adventure in the OG ended at the QF. A funny thing is that despite the supposed USA-CHN rivalry at the global stage, the home crowd cheered for the USA. Of course, it was for Lang Ping.

I thought Pool B was the tougher group but with the QF result, Pool A had better teams. I would credit that to mental and pyschological strength.

In the SF, I would give the slight edge to Cuba. They had an easier time so far and to me have not shown their full potential. They have kept pace with strong opponents and can fight when pressed. But they win by just enough even when playing relaxed. USA had to squeeze through China, Poland, and Italy to reach this far. But Cuba really tore them apart. I'm sure they'll make adjustments in their receives and blocks during Wednesday's practice session. Lang Ping has adjusted several times during this OG. However, Cuba has adjusted when she adjusts. This happened 2x: in the 1996 OG and the 1998 World Championships. This time, both teams are mentally strong but Cuba is peaking at the right moment. I'm predicting a close match but pray for Cuba's success.

China has also been mentally strong. With their fast offense and combination plays they are well-suited to face Brazil. Japan showed that Brazil can be vulnerable to strong serves, confusing offensive tactics, and blocking. If China keeps up with Brazil, it is possible that Brazil wll breakdown mentally like it did several times. Blocking Brazil's spikes and making successful attacks frustrates their players a lot. With China playing at home with such high stakes, it could push the Chinese team to reach the finals. Maybe 5 sets.

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You may have a point, ike74ph, but after seeing Cuba's performance against Serbia and the Chinese performance against Russia, I am even more confident about a Brazilian victory.
Besides, with Fofão on court, Brazil NEVER lost to China. The results of the last matches between Brazil and China are also favourable for Brazil.

I acknowldege the match against China will be tough, but I am really confident Brazil will advance to the finals.

When it comes to the US team, anything can happen in the semifinal match against Cuba. If US serves well, they will surely win, cause reception is Cuba's weak point.

Cuba is going to be another challenge for USA, at least I think so. I don't think anybody really expected us to make it to the semi-finals, yet even advance to the medal round. Italy is great team, I thought for sure they would beat us in 4 games, them being rank #2 in the world!

It goes to show it takes an entire team effort to win and hopefully we will see that against Cuba.

Quote from Celso

You may have a point, ike74ph, but after seeing Cuba's performance against Serbia and the Chinese performance against Russia, I am even more confident about a Brazilian victory.
Besides, with Fofão on court, Brazil NEVER lost to China. The results of the last matches between Brazil and China are also favourable for Brazil.

I acknowldege the match against China will be tough, but I am really confident Brazil will advance to the finals.

When it comes to the US team, anything can happen in the semifinal match against Cuba. If US serves well, they will surely win, cause reception is Cuba's weak point.

Brazil has better chances, I admit but this OG edition has been quite a roller coaster like Athens. Brazil has played on cruise control and hasn't been pushed so far. On the other hand, I'd say Cuba and USA have reception problems. But the Cubans served better in this tournament and has played more consistently. But who knows? Anything can go wrong. That's why I'm still nervous about Cuba's chances.

Quote from kimrossi

Caprara said after the match that he would take the fall and leave the RUS NT.

I think Caprara must not leave,players must leave.They played so willingless.I think someone make them to play.

Quote from Nastja

Interesting that all teams from Pool A won, with the exception of Japan, which was obvious....
Maybe you get what i want to say with this

Of course! Japan beat only Venezuela and Poland
That what many predicted is a fact now: now European team will fight for medals. Cuba-USA should be really great game indeed. I suppose this is something more for Cubans, than ordinary match. And not only because it is Olympic semifinal...
I think Brazil is still favourite against China, but I won't be very surprised with China's victory.

I've just seen Nadia Centoni cry, and if I wasn't too sad before, now I am.
Eh. But the US deserved the victory and in sports, when one team smiles, the other inevitably cries.
How sad it was Italy, though .

I'm disappointed by European teams. They have to seriously reflect about its game and approach.

European teams just suxs at this OG. Poland didnt get to quarters and now it starts a little inferno in our team Russia and Serbia was just bad plain bad . and Italy was the only one who play really well but still they are out already. i think european teams need to think about their style of play cuz compare to world style is just slow. Poland Serbia and Russia are really boring . only high balls to their outside hitters and they forgeting of their MB-they can attack!! Sadurek and Szeszenina dont use them at all Maja O is using them more but still not enough . there's nothing to do but just pray new coach of Poles will change that style and we will be playing "happy" volleyball with lots of combination like we use to in the past few years

It's always easier to blame the coach if the team doesn't play well...

Quote from Ros

It's always easier to blame the coach if the team doesn't play well...

I didn't blame the coach. I said he was disrespectful, and I want him out.