Thursday, August 19, 2004
XATHENS -- Stacy Sykora's scowl said what her one-word answers didn't.
In an early morning match before only a handful of fans, the U.S. women's volleyball team lost to the Dominican Republic 26-24, 22-25, 27-25, 23-25, 19-17. The Americans did not even attempt to dress up one of the biggest upsets in these Olympics, a loss arguably worse than the United States' loss to Puerto Rico in men's basketball.
The U.S. volleyball team is ranked first in the world and hadn't lost to the Dominican, currently ranked 13th, since 1999.
"That's a huge upset, because we haven't lost to them in I can't remember how long," said middle blocker Danielle Scott, playing in her third Olympics. "That was a great win for them, and it's probably a historical thing for us. But we can't focus on that. We have two other matches that we have to play and rebound -- hope for the best, rise to the occasion."
The loss puts the U.S., which is seeking its first gold medal in the sport, in a precarious position. The Americans lost to China, seeded first in the Olympics, in their opener, so the U.S. now stands 1-2 with two pool-play matches remaining -- Russia on Friday and Cuba, the three-time defending Olympic champions, on Sunday. The top six teams in each pool advance to the quarterfinals.
In their first two Olympic matches, the Dominicans failed to win even a game. The most points they had scored in any one game in losses to Russia and China was 20.
The United States had two game points in the third, a game they lost 27-25, and three match points in the fifth. They nearly blew a 24-20 lead in the fourth game, winning on their fourth game point.
The Americans have only two medals in the sport's Olympic history. They won the silver in the boycotted-1984 Games and the bronze in 1992. They entered the game as one of the favorites to take the medal stand Aug. 28.
Knight Ridder Newspapers