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(AP Photo/Andy Wong)
BEIJING (AP) -- The U.S. men's volleyball team will play for the Olympic gold medal after defeating Russia in five sets.
With the 25-22, 25-21, 25-27, 22-25, 15-13 victory Friday, the U.S. men remain undefeated in Beijing.
They play the winner of the late semifinal between Brazil and Italy in the title match on Sunday. Russia plays the loser in the bronze medal match.
"David Lee just came up with some huge blocks - MVP right there," wing spiker Reid Priddy said. "That was huge, huge for us."
Captain Tom Hoff called the match an "awesome team performance." Former BYU player Ryan Millar added to today's victory.
The U.S. won Olympic gold medals in 1984 and 1988, before winning the bronze in 1994. But the closest they've gotten since then was a fourth-place finish at the 2004 Athens games.
Before competition started, former BYU assistant coach and now Olympic head coach Hugh McCutcheon, was called away from practice. His father-in-law, Todd Bachman, had been fatally stabbed at a Beijing tourist site. Bachman's wife, Barbara, was badly hurt.
McCutcheon is married to the Bachman's daughter, former Olympian Elisabeth "Wiz" Bachman McCutcheon, who played for the U.S. women in Athens and formerly played at BYU.
The coach left the team to be with his family and missed three matches before his mother-in-law returned to the United States by air ambulance. Assistant Ron Larsen was interim head coach.
The U.S. players have marked their shoes with the initials of Todd and Barbara Bachman during games.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
