U.S. rallies past China in women's volleyball

BEIJING • A few seconds after an emotional, battle-from-behind victory over China, the U.S. women's volleyball team gathered in a tight circle.

"We're a team right here," players shouted to each other. "Those other games, that wasn't a team.'"

The Americans celebrated as if they had won the gold medal. As the match ended Kimberly Glass seized the ball and gleefully tossed it. Her teammates howled and danced.

They had sound reason for such joy. The United States overcame a two sets to one deficit to fight back to a five-set victory (23-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-20, 15-11). The win clinched a trip to the quarterfinals for the Americans.

It was a sweet victory in a trying week.

Last Saturday, Todd Bachman was murdered at the Drum Tower, an ancient Beijing tourist site. His daughter, Elisabeth, played on the 2004 Olympic team in Athens. Elisabeth, known as "Wiz," was a teammate of eight current players.

Earlier this week, a grieving and distracted U.S. team suffered through a three-set pounding at the hands of Cuba.
The team, Glass said, has learned to use Todd Bachman's death as inspiration. The word "Wiz" is written on tape that is wrapped around each player's wrist to remind players of their former teammate.

"The death, it motivates us now," Glass said, looking at the nickname on her wrist. "It motivates us to fight for her, to fight against injustice. Her spirit is a fighting spirit, and she would want us playing hard."

The Americans needed all kinds of fighting spirit to survive. The crowd was, as expected, ear-splittingly in favor of the Chinese. The chant, "China! China!" filled with big room.

After the third set the Americans looked doomed. The Chinese had overcome an 18-14 deficit to win the first set and led the entire way in set three.

But the Americans rallied. U.S. coach "Jenny" Lang Ping is a calm soul, and she remained steady even under the pressure of a trying scene. Ping led the Chinese to a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics, and she remains an icon in her homeland.

When Ping was introduced Friday, the crowd responded with thunderous applause.

Ping has been honest with her players. Her homecoming, she told them, leaves her with mixed feelings. She, of course, wants her team to win, but it's excruciating to tangle against the land of her birth.

"She has loyalties," Heather Brown said, "but she told us, ‘I'm with you guys. I believe in you.'"

Her players responded to her confidence.
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Contact the writer: Columnist David Ramsey can be reached at 476-4985 or david.ramsey@gazette.com. Check out David's blog at http://daveramseysez.freedomblogging.com