Jen Flynn Has Team USA A Win Away From The 2002 World Championship – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/13/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 13, 2002
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The U.S. women’s national volleyball team continued its incredible run at the 2002 Women’s Volleyball World Championships with a thrilling 3-2 semifinal win over the world’s No. 1-ranked team, Russia, Friday night at Max-Schmeling-Halle.
Team USA’s 21-25, 25-23, 25-20, 21-25, 15-8 victory, the 10th without a loss for Team USA in the tournament. The U.S. won its 11th straight match overall and evened its season record to 17-17.
Former Ohio State setter/outside hitter Jen Flynn as started all 10 tournament matches for Team USA. “It was a great team win,” Flynn added. “Russia was another team that was in our way of our ultimate goal. Now we have our sights set on the gold and no matter who we play, I know we are ready for a battle.”
“We are very happy,” said Team USA head coach Toshi Yoshida. “We have a lot of respect for the Russian team because they have been one of the top teams for years. It was a hard match, but a good match. Our block was decisive. I am hoping that this victory will further boost our confidence for the final.”
The United States will now play Italy, a 3-1 winner over China in Friday’s other semifinal, in the championship match on Sunday at 9 a.m. (EDT). The Americans and Italians have met six times so far this season, with each team winning three matches. In their last meeting on Aug. 24 in Italy, Team USA emerged with a 3-2 win in its final tune-up before the start of the World Championships on Aug. 30.
“We are very happy and proud today and on (our) way to fulfilling our ultimate goal: winning the World title,” said USA team captain Tara Cross-Battle (Houston, Texas/Long Beach State). “We knew that it would be a very difficult game today. Our team played aggressively and with team spirit. We know the Russian team well because we played them often in the last couple of years.”
Middle blocker Heather Bown (Yorba Linda, Calif./Hawai’i) continued her solid play with 13 points on nine kills and four blocks, while opposite hitter Tayyiba Haneef (Laguna Hills, Calif./Long Beach State) added nine points on nine kills. The last time the United States women played in a championship match of a major international tournament was at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, when the team captured the silver medal after losing to China in the finals. “I think we knew that we would have a marathon match with Russia,” said opposite Sarah Noriega (Ulysses, Kan./Loyola Marymount), who scored four points off the bench. “After losing the first set we started to get our block timing, in addition to some incredible defensive plays to give us opportunities to swing in transition. Everyone contributed to this victory. Great setting by (Jen) Flynn, and Lizzy (Fitzgerald) came off the bench with confidence. Keba finished the match dominating with her hitting and blocking. We are all very excited for the finals on Sunday!”
Before the tournament, Russia, the silver medallist at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, was the favorite to win the world championship. It won the Montreux Volley Masters tournament in June and the World Grand Prix in August and appeared poised to win its first world title since 1990.
The Russians had also dealt the United States six straight losses this summer before losing to the Americans in a first-round pool play match on Aug. 31, 3-2.
But on Friday, as was the case on Aug. 31, a dominating USA block was one of the key factors in sending the Russians to the bronze-medal match on Saturday against China. The United States out-blocked Russia, 18-10, in the semifinals after posting a 17-15 edge in their first-round meeting.
“Before the match, we talked about maintaining our focus and aggressiveness throughout the sets, which we did very well,” said starting setter Jen Flynn (Pittsburgh, Pa./Ohio State), who scored three points. “As in the earlier match this tournament, our block was very effective, causing the Russians many problems.”
Ekaterina Gamova scored 21 points on 18 kills and three aces to lead Russia. Evguenia Artamonova added 20 points on 14 kills, three blocks and three aces, while Elizaveta Tichtchenko chipped in with 18 points on 15 kills and three blocks.
“The team’s loss is my fault, and I don’t want to point out or criticize any individual players,” Russian coach Nikolai Karpol said. “The main reason for our defeat was the strong U.S. defense.”
For the tournament, the United States holds a commanding 143-68 edge in total blocks over its 10 world championship opponents. Danielle Scott (Baton Rouge, La./Long Beach State), who scored five points on Friday, leads all players in the tournament in blocks with 34, an average of 0.94 per set. Bown is second on the list with 30, an average of 0.83 per set.
