U.S. Women Rock the Pyramid in Sweep of Japan - Articles

Top-ranked U.S. Women’s National Team, playing in front of a sell-out crowd in Long Beach, California, notched a 25-16, 25-23, 25-21 victory over No. 5 Japan on Saturday evening in Long Beach, California, in a battle of Olympic-qualified teams. The USA trains in nearby Anaheim, located just 30 minutes away from Long Beach. Team USA, now 4-1 overall with 12 points and in fourth place in the World Grand Prix standings, concludes the Pool E weekend by playing No. 10 Turkey on Sunday at 5 p.m. PT. “We love playing Japan,” U.S. Women’s National Team Head Coach Karch Kiraly said. “They are one of the legendary programs in all of international volleyball, especially on the women’s side. They fight with such heart and never give up. We know we have to work really hard to earn every point, and that is good for us to work our tails off in the long rallies.” The USA had balanced scoring with Foluke Akinradewo (Plantation, Florida) soring a team-best 14 points with 12 kills on 17 attacks, one ace and one block. Kim Hill (Portland, Oregon) added 13 points on 11 kills via 23 swings and two blocks. Jordan Larson (Hooper, Nebraska) tallied 11 points with 10 kills on 21 attacks and a block. Rachael Adams (Cincinnati, Ohio) contributed 10 points on six kills via 14 swings, two blocks and two aces. “I think we made conscious decisions tonight to get a couple strong goals, and we did a really job of sticking to those and accomplishing them.” Hill...

from Articles - Volleyball Magazine http://ift.tt/1UqrbQh