Stanley-led U.S. to play France
Advertiser Staff
The U.S. Men's National Team will see a familiar foe in the 2007 FIVB World League's final round next week in Katowice, Poland.
France (7-5), which finished second behind the United States in Pool B, received the wild card into the final round. The U.S. men, who won Pool B with a 10-2 record, will be in Pool E for the final round along with Poland, the winner of Pool D, and France.
The U.S. will play France in its first match July 12. The teams split their four World League pool-play matches, with each team winning one home match and one away match.
The other final-round pool will be Bulgaria, which finished second behind Poland in Pool D, Pool A winner Brazil and Pool C winner Russia.
The U.S. put an exclamation point on its pool victory with a 28-26, 25-21, 25-13 sweep of host Italy Sunday in Avellino. A new lineup neutralized Italy's offense, which converted only 34 percent of it attempts.
Honolulu's Clay Stanley led the U.S. with 14 points on 10 kills, two blocks and two aces.
Friday, five different starters scored in double digits to lift the U.S. to a four-game victory over Italy. Team USA fought off six game points in the fourth game.
In other volleyball news:
Boss and Ross, both from California, swept third-seeded Jia Tian and Jie Wang of China, 21-14, 21-12. Boss and Ross shared the $43,500 first-place prize in the second of five "major" events on the 2007 SWATCH-FIVB World Tour calendar.
The Chinese team upset top-seeded Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh earlier. May and Walsh, who won the previous SWATCH-FIVB Grand Slam event in Paris, left Norway with the bronze medal.
In the men's bracket, the United States was shut out of Sunday's semifinals after fifth-seeded Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers fell to No. 13 Marcio Araujo and Fabio Magalhaes. Second-seeded Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal, and sixth-seeded Mike Lambert and Stein Metzger, both from Hawai'i, lost in Sunday's first round.
