LANG Ping (CHN) - USA head coach
On the match:
"Before the game our situation was difficult. We set
up the goal to make the quarterfinals and we only had two games left. We
haven't played well in the last three games. We had a meeting to tell the
players that every point is very important. I told them to not think about the
result, but to believe in yourself and fight for every point. We showed great
spirit and played a great match."
On her feelings on being in China, but coaching the USA
team:
"It doesn't matter if we play China, if we play Cuba
or if we play any other team, every time is the same. I try to be concentrated on
the game, not the emotions. I have been coaching the USA team for four years,
so this is not the first time we played China."
On her coaching strategy:
"As coach of the US team, our players are very
emotional, very passionate, but sometimes too much. I have to balance it. If it
gets too high, I have to settle it, or if too low, I have to raise it, sort of
like a cheerleader."
On defeating China:
"China is a great team and has had great results
from all the (recent) tournaments. It doesn't mean you win one game and you're
better than China."
CHEN Zhonghe (CHN) - China head coach
On the match:
"It's a tough match, I think we tried our best but
we still lost. We lacked control of our frame of mind, especially in the fourth
set. Many of the key points were not handled well. ZHOU Suhong and FENG Kun
have played in the Olympics before, but they still haven't played that many
critical points. The USA team on the other hand are very calm and experienced
when playing those key points."
On why ZHAO Ruirui was not on court in the second, third
and fourth sets:
"She was sick, not feeling very well. Her first set
performance was not outstanding so I would rather let the younger players have
a go on the court, to gain experience."
On China's President HU Jingtao's presence:
"I felt very great tonight. It is very special that
many people, including the president watched our game and I feel very
motivated."
Lindsey BERG (USA)
On the win:
"We are absolutely thrilled. We knew it was going to
be tough playing China at their home, all we wanted was to fight. We wanted to
play hard each game and each set, and we did win the game."
On losing to Cuba in their first match:
"With Cuba we had a hard match - emotionally,
physically and technically. Today is our comeback."
What USA coach LANG Ping (CHN) says to the team during
time-outs:
"That depends on how the game goes. Most of the time
it is technical, then it becomes emotional support. She has been our leader for
the last four years and she has been our emotional support. We are very happy
she is here to play with us in the Olympic Games. She is here to lead us to a
medal."
LIU Yanan (CHN)
On their performance:
"Although we lost the match, every player played
their best. It's important we find our problems in the preliminaries and find
ways to solve them. I hope we can overcome the difficulties and reach our
goals."
On the absence of captain FENG Kun (CHN) from the press
conference:
"She was not feeling well with a stomach ache."
On playing at home:
"We are happy to play at home. The 1.3 billion
people are our support, we are motivated by them and we played with more
passion."
On China's President HU Jintao's presence:
"We were very focused on the game at first and
didn't really notice him. Later on we noticed him and that encouraged us."
On LANG Ping being the opponent's coach:
"LANG Ping is the role model for every Chinese
female volleyball player. However, we don't have special feelings when we play
against the USA. She's now coaching the USA team and she has helped them
improve and change their style. Still, we played without any special
feelings."