US volleyball holds off Netherlands at Koch Arena

by JEREMY SHAPIRO
Last Updated: July 22, 2009

At nine different points in Friday's world volleyball match the Netherlands needed just one point to win a set against the United States.

And in all nine opportunities, the Americans staved off set point. That poise at the critical juncture of the match lifted the U.S. to a 3-0 win in front of a rowdy crowd at Charles Koch Arena.

“We had no more room for error," U.S. coach Alan Knipe said. “I thought our passers did a really good job of dealing with some very aggressive serving. We had a higher hitting percentage in transition than we did in regular side out. That's very uncommon."

A loud and active crowd got the attention of players from both teams.

“Nothing better to come to a gym like this that's a perfect size for us with a lot of fans enthusiastic about the international game," U.S. captain Tom Hoff said. “We appreciate all the fan support."

Friday's victory was significant for the U.S. team because it clinched the pool A championship in the FIVB World League tournament. With Italy lurking close behind, the U.S. had to get at least one win over the Netherlands.

With a victory in pool play the U.S. qualified for the final round of World League play held in Serbia today through Sunday. The U.S., who won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics, is the defending champion in this event.

“We were able to accomplish one of our goals that we set out of world league by advancing out of pool play," Knipe said. “I'm proud of the guys for it. There are a lot of guys that logged a lot of minutes in their first go-around in World League."

The Americans grabbed a 10-7 lead in the opening set on a Clayton Stanley kill. The U.S. maintained a two to four point advantage the rest of the set and took the set 25-21 on an Andrew Hein block.

The Netherlands took control early in a wild second set. The U.S. was down 20-15 before going on a 6-0 run. Stanley had a couple of kills in the run, one after a tremendous dig by Scott Touzinksy on a well-struck ball that seemed to be out
of reach.

“We stayed patient and we made really good decisions on transition to score points," Knipe said.

The Netherlands recovered and went up 25-24 with a chance to win the set. A sharp kill by David Lee kept the U.S. alive. The Netherlands scored, but Stanley got a kill to tie it a 26. Thus began a pattern of trading points.

The U.S. got its chance to win up 28-27 but the Netherlands Wytze Kooistra smashed a ball at the feet of a U.S. player.

On the United States' fourth try to win the set, Stanley whacked the ball for a kill. Two Dutch players went up for the block but the ball careened out of bounds. The crowd roared as the U.S. won the second set 32-30.

“It was a big swing to be up to 2-0 instead of 1-1," Knipe said. “That was a big deficit to overcome in rally scoring."

The third set was also close. The Netherlands had an 18-17 lead when the U.S. went on a 4-1 run. But the Dutch answered with a 5-1 spurt to come within a point of winning the set. In fact, they had five chances to win, but three bad serves and kills from Hein and Stanley ruined their chances.

With the U.S. up 30-29 and a dig heading toward the net, Sean Rooney of the U.S. and a Dutch player jumped for the ball at the same time. Rooney got to it first and a small flick of the ball made it drop on the Netherlands side of the net, giving the U.S. the 31-29 victory.

“In one factor we were close, but on the other side, the U.S. when it's above 20 was much more determined and much more superior of their play than our team," said Netherlands coach Peter Blange.

In Saturday's match, the U.S. again won in straight sets by scores of 25-19, 25-18 and 26-24. The Americans finished pool play 9-3 while the Dutch compiled a 4-8 record.

The U.S. will play Serbia today and Russia on Thursday in the final round. Cuba, Argentina and Brazil also made the final.

Those who missed the matches between the U.S. and the Netherlands can watch the replay on ESPN2. Friday's match will air at 9:30 p.m. on July 28 and Saturday's match will be on at 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 4.
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