U.S. Sitting Teams Advance to Championship Matches

B.J. Hoeptner Evans
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: (719) 228-6800
E-Mail: bj.evans@usav.org  

DENVER, Colo. (March 7, 2010) – The U.S. Men’s Sitting Volleyball Team ended Sunday with a victory over Canada, but it’s the loss to Brazil that it will probably remember.
 
Despite holding leads in each set, the U.S. Men’s Sitting Team fell to Brazil, 18-25, 21-25, 18-25 at the Parapan American Championships at the Colorado Convention Center.

The United States came back to defeat Canada in Sunday evening’s semifinal, 25-23, 25-23, 30-28. It advanced to Monday’s championship match where it will get another chance against Brazil.

The U.S. Women’s Sitting Team also advanced to Monday’s championship match by winning pool play with a 2-0 record.  On Sunday it defeated Canada, 25-13, 25-9, 25-14. In the women’s semifinal match on Sunday, Brazil defeated Canada, 25-12, 25-14, 25-15.  

The U.S. Men’s Sitting Team was anxious for the chance to avenge its loss to Brazil in 2007 in the gold medal match of the Parapan American Games in Rio de Janeiro.  Brazil qualified for the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing while the U.S. team stayed home.

But when the time came to face Brazil again, the U.S. Men weren’t quite ready.

“Obviously, we didn’t play as we had hoped we would (on Sunday),” U.S. Team Captain Brent Rasmussen (Omaha, Neb.) said. “We just didn’t execute. We didn’t get the big play at the key time that we needed it.”

In the first set, the U.S. Men took a 6-1 lead, including four straight points during a serving run by Dan Regan (St. Louis, Mo.). An ace from Eric Duda (Gainesville, Fla.) gave the United States an 8-3 edge at the first technical timeout (TTO). Team USA led 14-10 when Brazil’s Deivisson Ladeira dos Santos got the serve and did not give it back until his team was leading 20-14. At least half the points came on U.S. errors. The U.S. Men could not put together a run and went on to lose the set.

The United States took a 6-0 lead in the second set before Brazil called timeout and Brazil’s Renato de Oliveira Leite responded with a kill. Team USA led 8-1 at the first TTO. Brazil came out of the break and scored three straight points behind the serving of Wellington Platini Silva da Anunciação to cut the United States’ lead to 9-4. Later, with the U.S. Men leading 12-7, Brazil’s Giovani Eustáquio de Freitas  served for four points , including two Brazil kills, to cut Team USA’s lead to 12-11. The United States continued to lead by one point at the second TTO, 16-15. Later, with the score tied 21-21, Wellington’s kill gave his team the serve and it didn’t give it up. Deivisson served for the final four points.

Brazil held an 8-6 lead at the first TTO of the third set. Team USA went on a 6-0 run behind the serving of Roderick Green (West Monroe, La.) to take a 12-8 advantage. But once again, Brazil came back to tie it at 12-12. Brazil led by one at the second TTO, 16-15. Then it came out of the break to score the next six points behind Wellington’s serve to put the set out of reach.

When asked if his team had lacked confidence, U.S. Men’s Sitting Team Head Coach Edgar Miraku (Elbasan, Albania) responded, “I’m not sure if it was lack of confidence or lack of consistency.”

He pointed out that two of his athletes, Green and James Stuck (New Kensington, Pa.), are playing hurt and two other starters did not even make the trip to Denver.

“I thought we did well considering all that. But the unforced errors hurt us.”

Brazil Men’s Head Coach Celio Cesar Mediato credited his team’s victory to “a lot of heart, determination and the will to win.”

Following the match, Mediato said he told his team, “We have a very important final match tomorrow. It will be much more difficult than today’s match.”

The U.S. Men’s semifinal match against Canada proved to be more dramatic than their pool play match on Friday had been, as Canada took advantage of the United States’ fatigue after its grueling match against Brazil.

In the third set, Canada and the United States each fought off two match points before Team USA finally gained the upper hand, winning the match on a block by Brad Johnson (Pompano Beach, Fla.) and Stuck.

 

The women’s championship will begin at 10 a.m. MT on Monday while the men’s match will follow at 1 p.m.

Schedule and Results:
March 6
Brazil def. Canada (women): 25-13, 25-4, 25-6
Brazil def. Canada (men): 25-13, 25-17, 25-14
USA def. Brazil (women): 25-18, 25-11, 25-15
USA def. Canada (men): 25-21, 25-16, 25-18

March 7
USA def. Canada (women): 25-13, 25-9, 25-14
Brazil def. USA (men): 25-18, 25-21, 25-18
Brazil def. Canada (women): 25-12, 25-14, 25-15
USA def. Canada (men): 25-23, 25-23, 30-28

March 8 (All times MT)
10 a.m. 1st place vs. 3 p.m. winner (women)
1 p.m. 1st place vs. 6 p.m. winner (men)

U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team
1 Lora Webster (Cave Creek, Ariz.)
2 Brenda Maymon (Sellersburg, Ind.)
4 Michelle Gerlosky (Griffin, Ga.)
5 Katie Holloway (Lake Stevens, Wash.)
6 Heather Erickson (Fayetteville, N.C.)
9 Gina McWilliams (The Colony, Texas)
10 Kari Miller (Washington, D.C.)
11 Allison Aldrich (Schuyler, Neb.)
13Nichole Millage (Champaign, Ill.)
14 Kaleo Kanahele (Edmond, Okla.)
15 Kendra Lancaster (Westfield, Ind.)
18Alex Gouldie (St. Paul, Neb.)

Head Coach: Bill Hamiter (Bethany, Okla.)
Assistant Coach: Edgar Miraku (Elbasan, Albania)
Team Leader: Dixie Collins (Marshall, Va.)

U.S. Men’s Sitting Volleyball Team
2 Dan Regan (St. Louis, Mo.)
3 Charles Swearingon (Gulfport, Miss.)
4 Edward O'Neil (Amherst, Mass.)
5 Eric Duda (Gainesville, Fla.)
7 Brad Johnson (Pompano Beach, Fla.)
8 James Stuck (New Kensington, Pa.)
9 Hugo Storer (Houston, Texas)
11 Roderick Green (West Monroe, La.)
12 Brent Rasmussen (Omaha, Neb.)
13 Josh Franklin (Houston, Texas)

Head Coach: Edgar Miraku (Elbasan, Albania)
Assistant Coach: Bill Hamiter (Bethany, Okla.)
Team Leader: Dixie Collins (Marshall, Va.)

Tags: Brad Johnson, Brent Rasmussen, Dan Regan, Edgar Miraku, Eric Duda, Hugo Storer, James Stuck, Josh Franklin, Roderick Green, Sitting Volleyball, U.S. Men's Sitting Volleyball Team, U.S. Women's Sitting Volleyball Team