1 2 3 4 5 USA 25 25 25 DOM 18 19 15 U.S. Women Too Much for NORCECA Rival Dominican Republic SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (June 10, 2012) - The U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team (3-0, 9 points) is atop the standings of the tournament it has won the past two years following a 25-18, 25-19, 25-15 victory over NORCECA rival Dominican Republic in Pool B action on June 10 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Nicole Davis dives to keep the ball in play against Dominican Republic. (FIVB photo)
Team USA built an early 7-2 lead in the opening set and used balanced scoring to cruise to a 25-18 set victory in which the Americans committed just two errors. The U.S. scored six straight points to take a 6-2 lead in the second set, but needed a 6-2 run to regain control at 20-14 en route to a 25-19 victory. The Americans rushed to a 10-1 lead in the third set, but needed to weather an 8-2 run by Dominican Republic closing the gap to 14-10 by scoring nine of the 13 points for a 25-15 victory. “I am happy with our performance,” U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon (Christchurch, New Zealand) said. “Congratulations to Dominican Republic for the excellent organization and for the fan support. We had a good service line today and we were able to attack with effectiveness. USA is satisfied with the job done by this group.”
Team USA celebrates a point versus Dominican Republic(FIVB photo)
Destinee Hooker (San Antonio, Texas) scored a U.S. and match-high 17 points with 15 kills on 26 attacks, one block and an ace. Jordan Larson (Hooper, Neb.) contributed nine kills, two blocks and an ace for 12 points. Danielle Scott-Arruda (Baton Rouge, La.) notched five kills on eight errorless swings, three blocks and an ace for nine points. Logan Tom (Salt Lake City, Utah) produced four kills and four aces for eight points. Christa Harmotto (Hopewell Township, Pa.) charted four kills and a block for five points. Tayyiba Haneef-Park (Laguna Hills, Calif.) scored two kills as a reserve in all three sets, while Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) rounded out the scoring with a block as a late sub in the third set. Nicole Davis (Stockton, Calif.) contributed six digs and seven excellent receptions on 14 errorless chances. Tom provided a team-high eight digs, while Larson picked up a team-high nine excellent service receptions on 16 chances. Lindsey Berg (Honolulu) charted 10 running sets on 62 set attempts.
Jordan Larson blocks a Dominican Republic attack while Nicole Davis awaits a possible cover and Danielle Scott-Arruda providing block support. (FIVB photo)
“I am very happy with the way we played. It is great to start with a 3-0 in this stage of the Grand Prix,” said Berg, the U.S. captain. “Dominican Republic is a strong team, but we played well. The fans here know a lot about volleyball and even though they always are against us, it is also a source of motivation.” McCutcheon started Tom and Larson at outside hitter, Scott-Arruda and Harmotto at middle blocker, Hooker at opposite and Berg at setter. Davis was the libero for the match. Team USA limited its errors to 12 for the match and benefited from 21 Dominican Republic errors. The U.S. converted 39.8 percent of its attacks into points with a .286 hitting efficiency, while Dominican Republic converted just 28.9 percent of its attacks with a .144 hitting efficiency. The U.S. held a slim 8-7 margin in blocks, along with a 7-3 advantage in aces. Dominican Republic held a small 28-25 margin in digs and a 27-20 advantage in excellent service receptions. Bethania De La Cruz de Pena paced Dominican Republic with 15 points, while no other player scored more than five points.
Destinee Hooker hitting off the Dominican Republic block. (FIVB photo)
18