Time, effort pay off

Alexander Joe, Getty/afp - Afp/getty Images

Team USA celebrates

By Rachel Blount, Star Tribune

Last update: August 21, 2008 - 9:56 AM

BEIJING, CHINA--None of them had ever seen Jenny Lang Ping like this. The Chinese sports hero turned U.S. Olympic volleyball coach, always so composed on the sidelines, jumped around and squealed after her team crushed Cuba on Thursday to earn a place in the gold-medal game.

Surprised as the players were to see their coach behaving that way, they couldn't help but join in. Lang, the legendary leader of China's 1984 Olympic gold medal team, had guided them down the same path. Their 25-20, 25-16, 25-17 battering of Cuba put them into the final and gave them a shot at winning their first-ever Olympic gold medal in women's volleyball. The United States will meet Brazil, which beat China 3-0 in the other semifinal. Brazil is ranked No. 1 in the world.

"I have never seen her like that,'' said setter Lindsey Berg, a former Gopher who set up several key points in Thursday's victory. "When she gets fired up, it gets us so happy, because she is such a reserved person. Seeing her that overwhelmed and excited makes us all even more excited.

"It's unbelievable. All the time, all the effort, all the complaining about practice, we know that's what got us here. We just came out and fought. This is what we all came for.''

The U.S. entered the Olympic tournament ranked fourth in the world. They went 4-1 in pool play, with their only defeat a 3-0 loss to the Cubans. They beat Italy for the first time in four years to advance to the semifinals at Capital Gymnasium and are seeking their first Olympic gold after winning silver in 1984 and bronze in 1992.

Lang Ping was the star player for China back in 1984, when it defeated the U.S. in the gold-medal match at the Los Angeles Olympics. Known as the Iron Hammer for her power, she became a sports icon in her country; her wedding was nationally televised, her picture appeared on a postage stamp, and sports stadiums bear her name.

She remains a popular public figure in China, despite her decision to quit as coach of the Chinese national team and take her volleyball knowledge to the other side of the world. Lang became the U.S. coach in 2005 and has led her teams to winning records every year.

A superior tactician, Lang has had her team practicing three hours on every off day at the Olympics. Though they were handled easily by the Cubans in pool play, Lang urged them not to lose confidence, and she studied Cuba's form for weaknesses. Her team exploited them in the semifinals, even as Cuba imploded.

Cuba's errors gave the U.S. 29 points. The Cubans repeatedly served into the net, hit long and wide and failed to return U.S. serves. At the game's end, the Cuban players sobbed, while the U.S. players waved a flag on the court and hugged each other in disbelief.

"We got them off their jump serve, and that got them off rhythm,'' said outside hitter Logan Tom. "I don't think they expected us to come out as prepared as we were.''

Recent Olympics stories

U.S. women's hockey has a place to call home - August 21, 2008

U.S. women's hockey has a place to call home - After years of having to train on their own wherever they could, the best American players now can congregate year-round at the Super Rink in Blaine. More