Tatsuya UETA (JPN) - Japan head coach
On his team's Olympic experience:
"Our young players were able to accumulate
experience. We faced some very top teams and we improved our mental and
technical aspects. This lays a solid foundation for our domestic training. The
results are that we lost every game but I believe if we sum up all our
experiences and continuously train, we can get better."
On his team's serving errors:
"We definitely had some problems. Our preparation
was short and we also had to attend the World League. So we didn't prepare
thoroughly."
Hugh McCUTCHEON (NZL) - USA head coach
On the match:
"I'm quite happy with the team. Our focus and
execution was there for all phases. I believe this was a better performance
than the match against China. It is always our goal to improve each and every
match, and I think we did that in the preliminaries."
On the performances of Lloy BALL (USA), Ryan MILLAR
(USA), and Thomas HOFF (USA):
"Ryan has had a very good tournament so far. He hits
with a lot of range and can attack different zones. His defence is good, and he
has been able to serve for a string of points. Those three bring a lot of
experience to this team, and are extremely valuable for this programme. In the
2000 Sydney Games, we had a disappointing result and in the 2004 Athens Games
we could have done better. They have a higher maturity level since they have
learned from those previous mistakes and experiences."
Thomas HOFF (USA) - captain
On the match:
"It's a good sign that we've got a better rhythm
now. Our level is getting better match after match."
On whether there is any extra pressure after being
undefeated in the preliminaries:
"We played well in different ways in each match and
we have won. What we would like to do is to control our destiny. We have won
several matches in a row, we are the first in our Pool, and this is a good
thing."
On their next opponents, Serbia:
"In the World League a few weeks ago, we played
against them twice. That was a good experience. We got extremely valuable
information from those matches. We were able to scout and analyse them. In the
Olympic Games, we watched them play in the other pool and we got even more
information."
"They like to control the pace and they also try to
limit the number of errors they make. They play very similarly to us, so I
think this will be a very difficult match-up."
Masaji OGINO (JPN) - captain
On the match:
"Through this match, we felt we are not as good as
other teams. We failed to play our own way in today's and previous
matches."
On whether he will retire from playing Volleyball:
"I will continue to play Volleyball in clubs. I
haven't thought much about it, but I think I will continue to play."
On what his younger teammates learned at these Olympic
Games:
"As for me and the young players, being able to
participate in the Olympic Games is a very good experience. Some players are
strong in home competitions, but when they take part in international
tournaments they will feel that their reception and service are not very good
and will feel the need to train even more."