After struggling just to get out of the preliminary round, the Americans were eliminated from the Olympics today when a late rally fizzled against Brazil in a quarterfinal defeat, 25-22, 25-20, 22-25, 25-27, 15-6.

Erika Coimbra scored 20 points to lead the unbeaten Brazilians into the semifinals against Russia on Thursday, with the winner gaining a spot in the gold-medal game. China plays three-time defending gold medalist Cuba in the other semifinal.

The Americans, the top-ranked team coming into the Olympics, overcame erratic serving and unforced errors to come back from their two-set deficit. The drama quickly disappeared when the Brazilians took an 8-2 lead, and the U.S. team's gold-medal hopes vanished a few minutes later.

The second-ranked Brazilians are one of the most polished teams in the tournament, and it's nearly impossible to build a big lead on them. Their block is almost always in the right place, they're able to dig nearly every ball off the floor and their dangerous attack is deftly guided by setter Fernanda Venturini.

The U.S. team was stunned in a loss to the Dominican Republic last week, but a pep talk from the gold medal-winning U.S. softball team pumped up the players.

The Americans lost their next game to Russia but bounced back to beat Cuba and qualify for the quarterfinals. Still, by losing three of their five preliminary matches, they got stuck with the lowest seed and had to face the Brazilians.

After dropping the first two sets to Brazil, coach Toshi Yoshida sent Ogonna Nnamani in for frustrated outside hitter Logan Tom. Nnamani killed point No. 24 for the Americans, and Keba Phipps came up with the set-winning block.

Nnamani, a three-time All-American at Stanford who grew up in Bloomington, Ill., is only 6-foot-1, but she sure is powerful. She provided a fourth-set spark as the U.S. team took an 18-15 lead before Brazil surged back.

Heather Bown's serve went into the net to tie it at 25, but Tayyiba Haneef's kill and Danielle Scott's block pulled the Americans into a 2-all tie. Bown is a former University of Hawai'i All-American.

These teams met only once before the Olympics this season, with Brazil beating the United States in the semifinals of the World Grand Prix tournament.

But the six Americans who played at the 2000 Sydney Games surely remembered a three-set loss to the Brazilians in the bronze-medal match.

Other Hawai'i players on the team were Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, a McKinley and UH alum, and Lindsey Berg, a Punahou graduate.