Aug. 18, 2008

Beijing, China — IPFW's Lloy Ball had 15 assists as the U.S. men's volleyball team swept Japan, 25-18, 25-12, 25-21, Monday at Beijing's Capital Indoor Stadium to finish 5-0 in pool play.

The Americans, ranked third in the FIVB world ranking, will play in a quarterfinal match against Serbia Wednesday.

Team USA, which has won seven matches in a row, is looking to reach the Olympic medal stand for the first time since 1992 when it earned the bronze medal in Barcelona after consecutive gold medals at Los Angeles in 1984 and Seoul in 1988.

Ryan Millar paced the U.S. with 10 points with five kills on nine swings to go with four blocks. David Lee (Alpine, Calif.) chipped in nine points via five kills on seven attacks, three blocks and an ace. Clay Stanley also had nine points.

Ball contributed 15 assists along with two blocks in the first two sets, while Kevin Hansen turned in eight assists in the final set. Rich Lambourne provided 17 service receptions on 19 attempts.

Team USA defeated Serbia during the 2008 FIVB World League title match. Serbia, currently ranked fifth in the FIVB world ranking, is the last team to defeat the Americans, a three-set loss to start the World League final round.

~Dons~