+U.S. volleyball hopes to end Olympic medal drought+
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By Jon Mailloux
SportsTicker Staff Writer

BRISTOL, Connecticut (Ticker) - It has been a while since the
United States collected an Olympic volleyball medal.

The men's and women's indoor volleyball teams are looking for
their first medals since both won bronze in 1992.  After
earning gold in 1984 and 1988, the men have fallen on hard
times, losing eight consecutive contests in Olympic pool play
since winning the first two matches in 1996.

With five players returning from the 2000 squad, including
captain and three-time Olympian Lloy Ball, the 12-man roster has
a balance of youth and experience and enters pool play ranked
sixth in the world.

The U.S. squad finished fourth at the 2003 World Cup but secured
a sixth consecutive Olympic bid with a perfect 6-0 record at
the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball
Confederation Olympic Qualifying tournament in January.

In a five-set victory over Cuba in the NORCECA tournament final,
a pair of rising stars led the way for the Americans.  Outside
hitter Reid Priddy collected 13 kills and a team-leading 16
points and opposite Clay Stanley added 15 points, including a
team-best four blocks.

The 12 international Olympic squads have been divided into two
pools, with the top four from each group advancing to the medal
round.  Facing arguably the toughest competition in Athens, the
U.S. men are in Pool B, which includes top-ranked and 2003
World Cup champions Brazil, second-ranked and 2000 bronze
medalist Italy and reigning silver medalist Russia.

Pool A includes 2000 gold medalist Serbia & Montenegro, Tunisia
and Argentina.

Like the men, the women's indoor team has five newcomers and
seven Olympic veterans. Unlike the men, they have something to
build off, having finished fourth in Sydney four years ago and
holding a current world ranking of No. 2.

Keba Phipps returns after a 12-year absence and is joined by
three-time Olympian Danielle Scott and Tara Cross-Battle, the
first player in U.S. history to be named to four Olympic teams
and the only returning member of the 1992 bronze winners.

Outside hitter Logan Tom has been one of the top players in
pre-Olympic tournaments.   In the third-place game of the 2003
World Cup, the Stanford product recorded 13 points to pace the
Americans to a straight-sets victory over Cuba and an Olympic
berth.

In the bronze medal game at the World Grand Prix in July, the
four-time All-American scored a team-leading 14 points during
another sweep of three-time defending Olympic champion Cuba to
earn tournament MVP honors.

The women also face a difficult draw in Pool B, which includes
Cuba, 2003 World Cup winner China, 2000 silver medalist Russia,
the Dominican Republic and Germany.

Pool A includes Brazil, Italy and Japan - three of the top five
teams from the 2003 World Cup - with Kenya, Korea and host
Greece.  If the women medal, they will have earned it.

The volleyball medal drought is not as pronounced on the beach,
where the U.S. women are trying to break through but the men
look for their third straight gold in the two-player
mini-version of the conventional indoor game.

With a pair of teams among the top five seeds, the women have an
excellent chance of earning their first medal.  Based on strong
play in both international events and AVP tournaments in
2003-2004, the virtually unbeatable team of Misty May and Kerri
Walsh was awarded the top seed in the Olympics.  The duo of
Holly McPeak and Elaine Youngs is seeded fourth among 24 teams.

In 2003, May and Walsh won eight domestic tournaments to earn
AVP Team of the Year honors and also were victorious in four
straight international events, including the 2003 World
Championships in October.  Considered one of the top players in
the world, Walsh earned the 2003 AVP Most Valuable Player award
and the AVP Best Offensive Player.

This year, the duo won four AVP events and three international
titles to extend their winning streak to an amazing 90
consecutive matches before May aggravated an abdominal injury
during the AVP's Manhattan Beach Open.

May has not played since mid-June. Walsh has the option of
choosing a replacement until two days before Olympics.  The
replacement player must come from among Carrie Busch, Annett
Davis, Jenny Johnson Jordan and Nancy Mason, who are on the
approved list of FIVB, the sport's international governing body.

Since May went down, McPeak and Youngs have won four straight
AVP events and two of the last four international events.
McPeak, who partnered with May during a fifth-place finish four
years ago, has won the AVP Best Defensive Player in each of the
last two seasons and Youngs is just two years removed from an
AVP MVP.

Brazil, which has four medals in the last two games, also has a
pair of women's teams that are considered serious contenders.
Reigning silver medalists Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede finished
second at the World Championships and are seeded second.  Ana
Paula Connelly and Sandra Pires Tavares are the third seed after
finishing 2003 as the world's top-ranked team.

The fifth seed is Australia's Nicole Sanderson and Natalie Cook,
who won gold in 2000 with then partner Kerri Ann Pottharst.

For the men to again strike gold on the beach, they must do it
with just one team among the top 10 seeds.   Dain Blanton, who
won gold in 2000 with Eric Fonoimoana, has paired with former
indoor player Jeff Nygaard as the eighth seed in Athens.

In 2003, Blanton and Nygaard earned AVP Best Offensive Player
and AVP MVP, respectively, winning three AVP tour events and one
international event.

First time Olympians Dax Holdren and Stein Metzger are seeded
12th after losing in the finals of the Worlds to the Brazilian
duo of Ricardo Santos and Emanuel Rego, who are the top overall
seed.  Brazilian compatriots Benjamin Insfran and Marcia Araujo
are seeded second and the top squad in Pool B.
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