U.S. Women's National Team Journal
Kerry Klostermann - Team Leader

2007 FIVB Women’s World Cup
Nov. 11, 2007
USA (#8) vs. Korea (#11) at Kumamoto, Japan

A “normal” day today with meals, practice, team meeting and another 3:05 p.m. match. Cuba just handled Thailand but gave up a set to the undersized but spirited and technically proficient team. We leave early tomorrow morning for Nagoya and the last stage. Fortunately besides tomorrow, which is travel and practice day, we have the next day off also. The extra day without a match will be welcomed.

Set #1

Starting lineup – Robyn Ah Mow-Santos (S); Jennifer Joines (MB); Danielle Scott-Arruda (MB); Logan Tom (OH); Kim Glass (OH); Tayyiba Haneef-Park (OPP); Nicole Davis (L).

Two sideouts to begin the match 1-1. KOR gets another 1-2 then Tayyiba ties it with the kill over the block from the right 2-2. Danielle’s serve causes the overpass and Logan swats it down 3-2. KOR sideout 3-3. KOR serves in the net 4-3. KOR sideout from the left side 4-4. Jennifer on the back 1 for 5-4. Logan jump serve and Jennifer jumps all over the KOR middle for the solo stuff 6-4. KOR tips short over our block for the sideout 6-5. We pass and set to Kim on the left side who goes over the KOR block for 7-5. KOR sideout off our block 7-6. KOR digs and attacks with the pipe – Kim blocks it down for the 8-6 lead at the first TT.

KOR sideout off the top of our block 8-7. Danielle answers by scoring on the 1 9-7. Robyn digs with a full out stretch, set to Logan who scores from the left side 10-7. KOR sideout 10-8. Stacy in for Kim in the back row. USA scores two straight points and KOR calls timeout at 12-8 (I’m doing some filming for Stacy). At 13-11, Jenny calls the double switch (Cassie for Robyn in the front and Lindsey for Tayyiba in the back). Logan tools the KOR block for 14-11. Kim back in for Stacy. USA serve error 14-12. KOR digs and converts back row middle 14-13. KOR serves into the net 15-13. Let’s get one more to the TT. Jennifer’s float serve causes KOR to pass back row and the set to the hitter on the left looks like it’s going on our side so KOR watches as it falls on their side for 16-13.

Kim and Danielle stuff KOR’s right side for 17-13. KOR sideout 17-14. KOR conversion and USA ball handling miscue tightens it to 17-16 and Jenny calls timeout. Danielle scores on the slide 18-16 and we double switch back. Danielle gravitates and one hand swats the KOR tip back on their side and to the floor 19-16. KOR timeout. KOR sideout 19-17. Nicole a perfect pass and Danielle plants the back 1 20-17. KOR sideout 20-18. Logan converts from the left side off the KOR block 21-18. Danielle digs KOR soft shot and Tayyiba kills from the right 22-18. KOR runs a quality x-play and scores 22-19. Kim hand passes and Logan pulls off a flying tip that fools KOR 23-19. KOR sideout 23-20. Nicole diving save and Logan finds nothing but court from the left 24-20. KOR sideout 24-21. KOR lofts the serve way long and we are handed the first set 25-21.

Set #2

Starting lineup – Robyn Ah Mow-Santos (S); Danielle Scott-Arruda (MB); Jennifer Joines (MB); Logan Tom (OH); Kim Glass (OH); Tayyiba Haneef-Park (OPP); Nicole Davis (L).

USA digs and converts on the smash slide by Danielle 1-0. KOR sets to the left side but no attacker shows up at the curtain call – free ball and Danielle back 1 kill 2-0. USA digs and Logan kills off the KOR block from the left and KOR calls timeout at 3-0. KOR tips short to score their first point 3-1. Logan hits a sharp cut inside the block 4-1. KOR sideout off our block 4-2. Tayyiba over the block from the right side 5-2. Kim digs the tip but we infringe on the 3-meter line from the back row 5-3. KOR squanders their good fortune with a serve long 6-3. KOR sideout 6-4. Nicole digs KOR’s line shot and Tayyiba finishes for USA from the right side 7-4. KOR tip over our 3-person block for the point 7-5. KOR setter fakes the set, fakes the dump and decides to swing – the ball hits the courtside barrier before it hits the floor and we have the 3-point lead 8-5 at the first TT. KOR’s “fast” offense is not producing much and our block seems to be intimidating them into a lot of tips and soft shots.

KOR pass error 9-5. KOR sideout 9-6. Danielle blocks the ball back and three KOR players touch it but can’t control it so USA scores the point 10-6. KOR sideout off our block 10-7. Logan replicates off their block 11-7. KOR sideout 11-8. Nicole digs a shot and Tayyiba cranks one that KOR can’t dig 12-8. Tayyiba’s serve makes KOR overpass and Logan rips it straight down – might have caught part of the center line 13-8. KOR timeout. Tayyiba’s serve results in a KOR shank and ace for USA 14-8. Tayyiba digs from #1, Robyn sets Logan who finishes sharp inside the block 15-8. KOR sideouts 15-9. KOR gets an ace serve 15-10. KOR smacks the next one wide of the court and we are at 16-10.

KOR whiffs a middle set that hits on our side with no one around 16-11. Kim is set a soft “4” inside from the left for the kill 17-11. USA dig and Danielle is on the sweet end of the conversion 18-11. KOR sideout 18-12. KOR ace serve 18-13. USA overpasses but Robyn fakes a block and the ball drops on KOR’s side unopposed 19-13. KOR sideout off our block 19-14. We go to Tayyiba on the left and she responds with the high kill shot 20-14. Danielle and Tayyiba combine for a stone wall stuff 21-14. Nicole digs the rattle shot off our block and Kim scores from the pipe 22-14. KOR sideout 22-15. Stacy in for Kim. KOR promptly serves long 23-15. 5 quality exchanges occur but the ball ends up on the floor on our side for 23-16. KOR gets a block point 23-17. KOR digs and converts between our block and Jenny calls timeout at 23-18. Stacy gets a perfect pass and Logan finesses a tip for the score 24-18. KOR sideout at the brink 24-19. KOR smacks their serve into the net and the second set is ours the same way as the first 25-19.

Set #3

Starting lineup – Robyn Ah Mow-Santos (S); Danielle Scott-Arruda (MB); Jennifer Joines (MB); Logan Tom (OH); Kim Glass (OH); Tayyiba Haneef-Park (OPP); Nicole Davis (L).

USA takes the early lead on a Nicole one-hand dig and Kim’s slicing spike into position 1 for the kill 2-1. KOR sideout and KOR serve in the net 3-2. Danielle’s snake float results in KOR mishandle for 4-2. KOR kill from the right side 4-3. Robyn digs a well-disguised KOR tip and Tayyiba scores the point 5-3. KOR sideout 5-4. Logan converts from the left hand side 6-4. KOR sideout 6-5. KOR digs and converts from their left side to tie 6-6. Tayyiba kills from the back right 7-6. KOR on its second try gets the point off our block7-7 but USA answers with a stuff block in the middle for 8-7 at the first TT.

KOR hits inside our block 8-8. USA sideouts and then serves out to knot it again at 9-9. Danielle cuts a middle 1 back to the right and scores 10-9. KOR makes a sideout 10-10. Kim nice pass and Logan down the line from the left 11-10. KOR scores from the left side 11-11. KOR takes its first lead 11-12 on a dig and kill. USA makes a 3-meter line infringement on the attack and KOR goes up 11-13 and Jenny calls timeout. Robyn stuffs their left side for 12-13. Two diving USA saves but KOR kills from the left side 12-14. USA hit error and we go down 12-15. Jenny immediately makes the double switch. Each team gets a couple of remarkable digs and Kim finishes the point with a wipe off their block 13-15. USA dig and Cassie scores from the right side 14-15. KOR score out of the middle for 14-16 at the second TT.

USA comes out and scores a sideout and a conversion to tie it at 16-16. KOR sideout 16-17. Danielle cross body kill evens it 17-17. USA serve error 17-18. Danielle another cross body kill out of the middle – if it works keep going to it 18-18. Jennifer comes up with a stuff block and we are back in the lead 19-18. KOR sideout 19-19. Two exchanges before KOR hits long over our block and it’s 20-19. KOR sideout off our block 20-20. Let’s get the sideout and a real point! Sideout comes with Logan’s kill down the line 21-20. KOR prevents the mini-break with a kill down the line 21-21. Robyn digs, Nicole sets Logan in the pipe and she blasts it to KOR’s turf 22-21. KOR timeout. KOR sideout 22-22. Danielle cranks the slide kill 23-22. KOR scores past our block 23-23. Shoot outside to Tayyiba who plants it sharp inside 24-23. Kim serves an ace with a major shank by the KOR passer and we jump all over each other! 25-23 and the 3-0 win!