Posted on: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

U.S. volleyball accuses Brazil of sandbagging

By Dave Campbell
Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece — The U.S. men's volleyball team might have more motivation to beat Brazil should they meet again.

The Americans contended their opponent tanked a meaningless match yesterday to make an easier path in the quarterfinals, while the Brazilians said they were just distracted by thoughts of their next match.

Whatever the case, the U.S. team will move on with plenty of momentum and confidence.

Reid Priddy scored 10 points to lead the Americans to a 25-22, 25-23, 18-25, 25-22 victory. Both teams played their reserves extensively. Honolulu's Clay Stanley, the Americans' most prolific scorer in these Olympics, played sparingly in three games.

American captain Lloy Ball called Brazil's effort "embarrassing" and felt it tainted the Olympic spirit: "I hope they lose the rest of their matches."

Coach Doug Beal concurred.

"The sport needs integrity," he said. "Brazil's team always impressed me. They were the best in every match, but today I was really disappointed."

The Americans finished pool play 3-2, winning a tiebreaker over Russia for third place. They advance to play Greece in tomorrow's quarterfinals.

"It's going to be an absolutely crazy environment," Priddy said.

The Brazilians, who won their first four matches and already had the top spot locked up, finished with 45 unforced errors.

The victory propped the Americans up one spot in the standings and allowed Brazil to avoid a semifinal matchup against Russia. If they beat Poland, the Brazilians would play the United States-Greece winner.

Athens2004.com contributed to this report.