Volleyball News

July 27, 2005, Cordoba City , Argentina - The Magnificent Seven did it again. Still shorthanded due to a visa issuance problem, the USA Mens National Volleyball Team all seven of them earned their third-straight 3-1 win over Argentina on Wednesday night.

Pieter Olree scored a match-high 26 points on 24 kills, one block and one service ace to lead four players in double figures as the United States posted a 20-25, 29-27, 25-22, 25-18 victory in the third match of a five-match series between the two teams.

David Lee and Riley Salmon each scored 16 points while Curt Toppel added 13 points for Team USA, which overcame a 24-20 deficit in the second set to win and set the tone for the rest of the match.

Lee had 10 kills and a team-high six blocks; Salmon posted 15 kills and one block; and Toppel ripped 13 kills.

"The guys continue to shows a lot of heart and competitiveness," said Team USA head coach Hugh McCutcheon. "After a slow start which was in part due to 4:30 a.m. wake-up call to get on a flight at 7 a.m. we were able to come back and play a great three sets to win the match. I am proud of these guys."

Middle blocker Phil Eatherton chipped in with six points and setter Chris Tamas added five points to cap the scoring for Team USA, which improved to 8-3 overall this season.

Santiago Darraidou scored 24 points to lead Argentina.

The fourth match of the tour is scheduled for Thursday, July 28 in San Francisco. After a day off on Friday, July 29, the series finale will take place in the city of Gualeguaychu on Saturday, July 30.

Argentina, ranked No. 7 in the world, and the United States (No. 5) met twice last season during the USA Global Challenge in Austin, Texas, with the Americans winning both times (3-2 and 3-0). Both teams also participated at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Team USA finished fourth overall, while the Argentineans finished tied for fifth.

Following the Argentina tour, Team USA will travel to Porto Alegre, Brazil , to compete in the Americas Cup along with Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Cuba and Venezuela from Aug. 2-7.