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Beijing, China, August 16, 2008 - USA Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon returned to the bench on Saturday to guide his team to their fourth straight victory of the Men's Olympic Volleyball Tournament and said it was "business as usual."

A week after the death of his father-in-law Todd Bachman in a tragic incident in Beijing, McCutcheon guided his players to a 3-0 victory over hosts China at the Beijing Institute of Technology.

"I wouldn't have come back if I wasn't ready," said New Zealander McCutcheon, who missed the first three matches of the Beijing Games. "You know, what I do is sit on the sideline and fire up the boys.

"I think it was comforting just getting back in the normal rhythm of the team. All teams have a culture, and I'm certainly a part of ours. So it was great to get back into the game and get going again.

"Since I walked in the mixed zone today, it's clear that every media is focused on this story. I would say that it's good to be here again. My family is back in the USA, last week was emotionally full, now I'm extremely confident, back to business as usual," said McCutcheon.

USA captain Thomas Hoff said McCutcheon's return was a comforting one for the 2008 FIVB World League winners.

"Yesterday I was informed that Hugh was coming back to guide us. He was with us for the last four years, the staff made a very good job without him, but we feel more comfortable now, the situation is more familiar," said Hoff.

China Head Coach Jianan Zhou said McCutcheon's return will bolster the USA team.

"After the incident, we were shocked and sad. We all hoped that this would have not been affected. Now that McCutcheon is back, their team will be even stronger," said Zhou.

Match description:

http://www.fivb.org/EN/Volleyball/Competitions/Olympics/2008/M/Press/viewMatchInfo.asp?Category=2&MatchNo=19&No=17967