BEIJING — Clay Stanley, a Kaiser High and University of Hawai'i alum, had 15 kills, 3 blocks, 2 aces as the U.S. men's volleyball completed a perfect run in the tournament by beating defending champion Brazil to win the Olympic gold medal.

The Americans captured their third gold medal in the sport with a 20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-23 victory in the final.

Top-ranked Brazil, a two-time gold medalist, was left with the silver medal. Russia won the bronze earlier in the day with a three-set victory over Italy.

The U.S. surge to the title came after coach Hugh McCutcheon's father-in-law was fatally stabbed the day before competition started. McCutcheon missed the team's first three games to be with his wife, a former volleyball Olympian whose mother was also injured in the attack.

McCutcheon hugged his assistants after the final point. Then he buried his head into his hands and quietly walked off the court. He did not return for a long while, and when he did, he embraced veteran Lloy Ball.

McCutcheon raised his hands in victory at the medal ceremony.

"I'm sure he was overwhelmed by everything, not only what happened on the volleyball court," U.S. libero Richard Lambourne said. "It's just something he poured his heart and soul into for the last four years."

"But certainly with the tragedy that befell his family at the beginning of these games, I'm so happy he was able to be here and experience this with us," he added. "Because he's a huge, if not the biggest, part of our team."

The Americans won gold in 1984 and 1988 before taking the bronze in Barcelona. They finished fourth in Athens in 2004.

A day earlier, in another U.S.-Brazil volleyball showdown, the U.S. women came away with a silver medal after losing 3-1.

This was the first time since the 1984 Los Angeles Games that both the American men and women advanced to the Olympic finals.

The men's victory was secured when Stanley's spike sailed toward Brazilian star Giba, who popped the ball out of bounds. Giba stayed crouched on the floor in disbelief, and the U.S. team rushed on the court to embrace. Ball, a four-time Olympian, jumped the barrier to the seats, where he hugged his 7-year-old son and wife.

Brazil has dominated international play most of this decade and was favored to win the gold in Beijing. After winning all five matches in the preliminary round, the U.S. men beat Serbia in the quarterfinals before the victory over Russia.

The tournament opened on a grim note. McCutcheon's father-in-law, Todd Bachman, was killed the day after opening ceremony by a knife-wielding assailant at the 13th-century Drum Tower. Bachman's wife, Barbara, was badly wounded; the assailant jumped to his death from the tower.

McCutcheon is married to the Bachman's daughter, former Olympian Elisabeth "Wiz" Bachman McCutcheon, who played for the U.S. women in Athens.

The coach left the team to be with his family and missed three matches before his mother-in-law improved and returned to the U.S. by air ambulance. Assistant Ron Larsen was interim head coach.

The U.S. men marked their shoes with the initials of Todd and Barbara Bachman during the games. McCutcheon planned to return to the U.S. immediately after the final.

The Brazilians went 4-1 in preliminary pool play, the lone loss to Russia, and defeated China in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Brazil defeated Italy and the U.S. downed Russia.

The Brazilians also won the gold in the 1992 Olympics, but their recent play has set them apart. In addition to winning in Athens in 2004, the team won the World Cup last year, defending its 2003 title. It also took gold in the 2002 and 2006 world championships.

On Sunday, Stanley led the United States with 20 points and Dante Amaral paced Brazil with 15 in a match the Brazilians looked on their way to winning after the first set.

Brazil went up 15-9 on Gustavo Endres' ace and the U.S. could not make up the deficit. Ball's service fault put Brazil ahead 20-15. The Brazilians won the set when no one could get to Andre Heller's spike.

The highlight came when Giba leaped over a barrier and crashed through another trying to save a point, bringing a chant of "Giba!"

The U.S. jumped ahead 6-0 to start the second set. It was not long before Brazilian coach Bernardo Rezende stomped down the sidelines in frustration.

Brazil threatened when Giba's spike couldn't be stopped, narrowing it to 21-20. It was as close as Brazil would come.

Riley Salmon's tap over the net was misplayed and tapped out of bounds by Andre Nascimento to put the U.S. up 16-12 in the third. The Americans extended the lead to 20-14 on Reid Priddy's block, and won it on Samuel Fuchs' service error.

The Brazilians kept a slim lead in the third set until Salmon's spike down the line evened it at 13. Stanley's spike tied it at 20 and Giba spiked into the net to give the Americans the lead. Brazil cut it 24-23 on Murilo Endres' spike, before Stanley's spike put it away.