Fourth time a
charm for Argentina vs. USA men
 July
28, 2005, San Francisco, Argentina - Diego Bonini scored a
team-high 18 points to lead four players into double figures as
Argentina defeated the USA Mens National Volleyball Team, 3-1 on
Thursday night.
Bonini had 15 kills, two blocks and one service ace in the
25-27, 25-17, 26-24, 25-21 victory for Argentina, its first win
in four matches against the United States during this five-match
tour.
Leonardo Patti scored 13 points, Gaston Giani tallied 11 points
and Gustavo Porporatto had 10 points for Argentina, which lost
the first three matches of the series by 3-1 scores.
Riley Salmon scored a match-high 22 points to lead Team USA ,
which dropped to 8-4 overall this season. Salmon blasted 18
kills to go along with three aces and one block.
Pieter Olree added 14 points, Curt Toppel scored 13 points and
David Lee chipped in with 10 points for the Americans, whose
roster is still limited to seven players due to a visa issuance
problem.
"The guys fought hard but we just didn't have it tonight," said
Team USA head coach Hugh McCutcheon. "Argentina played a new
lineup and played well. I think that playing two matches in two
days, combined with only having seven guys here, finally caught
up with us."
The series finale is scheduled for Saturday, July 30 in the city
of Gualeguaychu.
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. |
