The sun is back in town, but not for the German and Netherlands teams as they both fell 16-14 in the fifth. The four teams advancing have been determined but the match-ups have not been determined - and as I spoke with Karch about late last night - some teams can really pick their opponent because of the point system used in FIVB events. For example, in our case if we win at least two sets this evening (versus China), as the last match of the event, we could either elect to strive for the win or massage the result and therefore receive a desired match-up. I can assure you that the staff is not looking at the alternatives but think it still allows for future teams to be electing to pre-arrange their future cross-over match-ups.

The USA-Germany match had a number of ups and downs for both teams and a perusal of the stats reveal point scoring results and team comparisons, but it doesn't allow for recognizing the efforts of some of the players that impacted the outcome but didn't rate high in the overall stats.

Jordon Larson's ability to come in and steady the team as well as serve tough and play great defense was a strong factor and Kristin Richards' ability to enter the game late and serve tough and make a great dig allowed the team to capture the key third set. The double-sub worked well in set three as Nellie Spicer and Nic Fawcett entered the set down 20-21 and were able to impact the result with a key 25-23 victory. My unsung stars of the game were Jen Tamas with her ability to pass, serve tough and make great defensive plays, especially at 15-14 of the third set where she made two digs in a rally that USA went on to win. Nicole Davis competes hard all the time and has the ability to make others better - things that these eyes really like to focus on. The effort was solid last night and the strength of a top team is that the players on the court are interchangeable, but the fight and resolve remained the same and the energy from the players watching never wavered.

I also thought the calm demeanor of Karch and the staff on the bench was valuable to the team. I mentioned to Karch that sometimes coaching is making all the right moves and it looks simple, and at other times every decision you make is followed by player error. One time the double-sub leads to a plus eight points and the next set it is a negative four. That is coaching and the team and staff that returns to train in Anaheim will be better for the experiences gained on this trip. I'm sure Hugh and the other players in training are following the results and working.

The second match of the evening was also a very entertaining game as the Netherlands came out fast and captured the first set and had a good lead in the second before Japan mounted a strong comeback, only to lose 29-27. The third and fourth sets were all Japan as they played their traditional great defense and slowly wore down the bigger and very athletic opponent. The last set could have gone either way, but the Japanese team made enough touches on defense to keep the rallies alive until Yukiko Ebata, who finished with 28 kills, tallied her last of the evening. The Japanese team have the ability to control the ball via a forearm pass like no other team in the tournament as the libero's ability to forearm pass a quick attack to the back row attacker is simply hard to define.

So as we prepare for China and then the crossover match, I will be back tomorrow with thoughts on tonights matches.