8/30 1 2 3 4 5 USA 20 23 17 CHN 25 25 25 U.S. Women Fall to China in Battle of Legendary Head Coaches SAPPORO, Japan (Aug. 30, 2013) - The top-ranked U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team lost to fifth-ranked China 25-20, 25-23, 25-17 on Aug. 30 during the FIVB World Grand Prix Final Round being held in Sapporo, Japan.
Karch Kiraly (right) shakes hands with Lang Ping as the two legendary players meet for the first time as coaches. (FIVB photo)
The U.S. fell to 0-3 in the six-team round robin Final Round that takes place over five consecutive days. China improved to 3-0 with eight points in the Final Round. The match was the first meeting of playing legends Karch Kiraly and ‘Jenny’ Lang Ping as head coaches of their respective countries. Kiraly is in his first year as head coach of Team USA, while Lang Ping took over as China’s head coach this spring. She also led the U.S. to the silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games. China scored the first six points of the match and led 8-1, but held off the Americans who closed to 20-18 in a 25-20 China victory. Team USA led the second set 4-0 and 18-14 before China recovered to win 25-23 with 11 of the last 16 points. The U.S. built an early 8-2 lead in the third set, but China rebounded with a 7-1 run to level the score at 9-all and then scored 10 of the final 12 points for a 25-17 victory. “USA played a nice tournament to earn the right to be here in the Finals,” U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team Head Coach Karch Kiraly said. “It’s apparent that the teams here are the best in the world and have been able to play at a higher level as the tournament goes on and we haven’t been able to match their improvement. Congratulations to China; they’ve played a great tournament.
Lauren Gibbemeyer attacks against China. (FIVB photo)
Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.) led the Americans with 11 points and captain Kristin Hildebrand (Orem, Utah) added 10 points that included a team-high three blocks. Christa Harmotto (Hopewell Township, Pa.) tallied nine points, while Lauren Gibbemeyer (St. Paul, Minn.) and Kim Hill (Portland, Ore.) each produced seven points. Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) served two aces and Lauren Paolini (Ann Arbor, Mich.) rounded out the scoring with a block. Glass was credited with 33 running sets on 100 set attempts leading to Team USA’s 32.7 kill percent and .178 hitting efficiency (35-16-107). Tamari Miyashiro (Kaneohe, Hawaii) and Hildebrand each secured seven digs in the match. Hildebrand had 11 excellent receptions on 16 errorless attempts. Kiraly started Hildebrand and Hill at outside hitter, Gibbemeyer and Harmotto at middle blocker, Murphy at opposite and Glass at setter. Miyashiro was the libero for the match. Jenna Hagglund (West Chester, Ohio) and Cassidy Lichtman (Poway, Calif.) were subs in all three matches, while Regan Hood (Dallas) and Paolini were subs in the first and third sets, respectively.
Team USA during the National Anthem. (FIVB photo)
China’s powerful attack led to a 47-35 advantage in kills and they took advantage of 18 errors by the U.S. The Chinese converted on 41.6 percent of their attacks with a .310 hitting efficiency (47-12-113). The Americans held slim edges in blocks (8-7) and aces (4-3). “I’m pretty sure I know the USA team very well,” Lang Ping said. “They have a lot of great players who aren’t at this tournament. They have brought young, talented players and they are doing a great job. Before the match, I told my players we need to get used to their speed. We haven’t played a fast team yet, so we had to make the adjustment on court and learn to make quick transitions. In the second set today, I emphasized to the players that they must concentrate on defense.” China’s Zhu Ting, a rising star at the age of 19, scored a match-high 23 points including three blocks of her team’s blocks.
Left: Cassidy Lichtman serves versus China. (USAV/Bill Kauffman photo). Right: Kelly Murphy (15) blocks China with Christa Harmotto (13) providing support. (FIVB photo)
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