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August 25, 2004 5:18 pm

U.S. men edge Greece in volleyball marathon

By STEVE RIVERA

Gannett News Service

ATHENS, Greece - Once Greece's Sotirios Pantaleon's spike attempt went out two hours, 16 minutes into its marathon men's volleyball match against the U.S., Clay Stanley finally could exhale.

Team USA had just survived a match-for-the-ages, beating host Greece, 25-20, 22-25, 25-27, 25-23, 17-15 at Peace and Friendship Stadium in front of 9,300 screaming fans.

It was a match heavy in heat and pressure as the Greek fans booed the U.S. team from start to finish.

``This is a huge load off our shoulders,'' said Stanley, a Honolulu native. ``You can't take this away from us.''

The U.S. team, which went 0-5 in the 2000 Sydney Games, will be playing in the semifinals and a possible medal, which would be a first since the 1992 Olympic Games. They play Brazil on Friday.

``I don't think there is a better example of how important 12 players can be,'' said USA team captain Lloy Ball of Indianapolis, who took a back seat to Donald Suxho in the game's final two sets. ``Tonight USA showed the kind of effort that was there in the 1980s.''

It took an all-out effort to do it. Down 2-1 in games, Team USA rallied from a 20-12 deficit - USA started 0-6 in the game - to score six consecutive points and eventually tie it at 21 with a Reid Priddy block and then take a lead on a Suxho ace.

``When you're down like that most times, you are dead in the water,'' said Ball, who told his coach to stick with Suxho because the chemistry seemed right. ``I think the Greeks thought they had it in the bag. They kind of let down. The combination of us stepping up and them coming down made for a hell of a match.''

Greece's Vasileios Kournetas was more descriptive.

``We committed suicide today,'' he said. ``When you are 20-12 ahead of the U.S. in the fourth set, you win it and you give a happy end to the match.''

Team USA closed out the match by getting the final three points to send it into the fifth game.

``I wish I could describe the feeling after being down 20-12,'' said Stanley. ``Unbelievable.''

Team USA rallied in the fifth game where the host had a 12-9 lead before Ball returned for serve to help with three consecutive points to tie it at 12. Greece took a 14-13 lead before Team USA made another rally, outscoring Greece 4-1 in the matches' final moments, culminating when Pantaleon's shot went long. The Greek team, upset because it felt the ball was touched on the way out, created a scene on the court while Team USA players hugged and ran around the court.

``This has got to be one of the best matches I've ever played in,'' said Priddy, a Phoenix native who finished with 13 kills and three blocks.

``There was skill there. Everything was there. Unbelievable. No one saw that coming.''

Except themselves.

``We just knew we had it in us,'' Priddy said.

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