by Bill Kauffman
USA Volleyball

The U.S. women's national volleyball team rebounded from a loss to Cuba last night to knock off Venezuela 26-24, 25-20, 25-14 in a balanced attack Monday afternoon to complete Pool B action of the Pan American Cup with a 4-1 record.

Heather Bown (Yorba Linda, Calif.) paced five Americans in double-figure scoring with 13 points, while Katie Wilkins (Lakeside, Calif.) added 12 points. Bown tallied nine kills on 12 swings without an attack error to go with two blocks and two aces. Wilkins turned in eight kills, three blocks and an ace. Nancy Metcalf (Hull, Iowa) charted 11 points, while Jennifer Joines (Milpitas, Calif.) and Tayyiba Haneef (Laguna Hills, Calif.) each contributed 10 points.

Robyn Ah Mow-Santos (Honolulu, Hawai'i) started the match at setter, and Sam Tortorello (Shorewood, Ill.) was substituted into start the second and third sets. The U.S. hit .429 with Tortorello directing the offense in the final two sets.

As the second-place team in Pool B, the Americans will face the third-place team from Pool A (yet to be determined as a potential three-way tie for first could occur based on results from Puerto Rico versus Dominican Republic played later today), in the quarterfinal round on July 5 at 8 p.m. ET. Cuba, which wraps up Pool B action at 6 p.m. ET tonight against Peru, has won Pool B and automatically advances into the semifinals on July 6.

Pool B consists of the U.S., Argentina, Barbados, Cuba, Peru and Venezuela. Pool A is comprised of Brazil, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica.

The winner of each pool automatically advances to the semifinals and the teams placed in second and third in their respective pools will meet in crossed matches in the quarterfinals round.

The U.S. finished fourth at last year’s Pan American Cup at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The 2005 squad won its first four matches in pool play, but lost to Cuba 28-30, 24-26, 22-25 in the final pool play contest.

To view stats by Data Project, go to: www.usavolleyball.org/national/wstats.asp.

For additional information on the tournament, go to: www.norceca.org/endex.htm or www.norceca.org/V%20Panamerican%20Women´s%20Cup_2006.htm.

For more information about USA Volleyball, go to: www.usavolleyball.org.

USA Women’s National Team Roster for Pan American Cup
3 – Tayyiba Haneef (OH, 6-7, Laguna Hills, Calif.)
5 – Sarah Drury (L, 5-5, Louisville, Ky.)
6 – Elisabeth Bachman (MB, 6-3, Lakeville, Minn.)
7 – Heather Bown (MB, 6-3, Yorba Linda, Calif.)
8 – Katie Wilkins (OH, 6-4, Lakeside, Calif.)
9 – Jennifer Joines (MB, 6-3, Milpitas, Calif.)
10 – Jane Collymore (OH, 6-0, Englewood, Colo.)
11 – Robyn Ah Mow-Santos (S, 5-9, Honolulu, Hawai’i)
12 – Nancy Metcalf (OPP, 6-1, Hull, Iowa)
14 – Candace Lee (L, 5-7, Eugene, Ore.)
16 – Sam Tortorello (S, 5-11, Shorewood, Ill.)
18 – Cassie Busse (OPP, 6-1, Prior Lake, Minn.)

USA Pool B Matches
June 29: def. Peru 25-18, 25-17, 25-20
June 30: def. Argentina 25-9, 25-14, 25-12
July 1: def. Barbados 25-8, 25-17, 25-11
July 2: lost to Cuba 27-25, 25-22, 20-25, 26-24
July 3: def. Venezuela 26-24, 25-20, 25-14

V Pan Am Cup Pools
A: Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico
B: Argentina, Barbados, Cuba, Peru, USA, Venezuela

Current Standings
Pool A
Puerto Rico 4-0 (plays Dominican Republic at 8 p.m. ET)
Brazil 4-1
Dominican Republic 3-1 (plays Puerto Rico at 8 p.m. ET)
Canada 2-3
Mexico 1-4
Costa Rica 0-5

Pool B
Cuba 4-0 (plays Peru at 6 p.m. ET)
United States 4-1
Peru 3-1 (plays Cuba at 6 p.m. ET)
Venezuela 2-3
Argentina 1-4
Barbados 0-5

Pan American Cup Schedule
June 29
USA def. Peru 25-18-25-17, 25-20
Cuba def. Argentina 25-19, 25-12, 25-16
Brazil def. Dominican Republic 25-21, 24-26, 25-15, 25-19
Puerto Rico def. Mexico 18-25, 25-14, 25-18, 25-19
Venezuela def. Barbados 25-10, 25-20, 25-7
Canada def. Costa Rica 25-15, 25-20, 25-6

June 30
Peru def. Venezuela 25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 25-21
Brazil def. Mexico 25-8, 25-12, 25-19
USA vs. Argentina 25-9, 25-14, 25-12
Puerto Rico def. Canada 23-25, 25-14, 25-20, 25-25
Cuba def. Barbados 25-7, 25-22, 25-9
Dominican Republic def. Costa Rica 25-12, 25-11, 25-19

July 1
Peru def. Argentina 25-20, 25-18, 29-31, 25-21
Cuba def. Venezuela 25-16, 25-17, 25-21
Dominican Republic def. Canada 26-24, 18-25, 25-13, 25-22
Puerto Rico def. Brazil 19-25, 25-20, 25-22, 18-25, 15-13
USA def. Barbados 25-8, 25-17, 25-11
Mexico def. Costa Rica 22-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-16

July 2
Venezuela def. Argentina 22-25, 25-21, 25-15, 23-25, 15-10
Brazil def. Canada 25-22, 25-21, 25-12
Puerto Rico def. Costa Rica 25-14, 25-20, 25-11
Cuba def. USA 27-25, 25-22, 20-25, 26-24
Peru def. Barbados 25-18, 25-17, 25-21
Dominican Republic def. Mexico 25-17, 25-16, 27-25

July 3
Canada def. Mexico 25-14, 25-19, 25-16
USA def. Venezuela 26-24, 25-20, 25-14
Cuba vs. Peru, 6 p.m. ET
Puerto Rico vs. Dominican Republic, 8 p.m. ET
Argentina def. Barbados 25-13, 25-6, 25-19
Brazil def. Costa Rica 25-13, 25-13, 25-16

July 5
Quarterfinals

July 6
Semifinals

July 7
Championship

* Eight of the 12 teams competing in the Fifth Pan American Cup are qualified for the next World Championships in Japan. "That says a lot about the high level of this competition where 12 squads are beginning the battle to qualify for the 2007 World Grand Prix, but also shaping up their teams for the Worlds in Japan," said Mr. Cristobal Marte, president of NORCECA during his welcome words to the participants of the General Technical Meeting prior to the event. "What we are having in Puerto Rico is like a preview of the Teams from the Americas in route to the World Championships. So, all the people in love with our sport have the chance to watch the action here before it takes place in Japan next November."

* Brazil, Cuba, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Costa Rica and Peru are the teams from the Americas qualified for the tournament in Japan. The other contenders here are Canada, Venezuela, Argentina and Barbados.

* Host Puerto Rico, already qualified for the World Championships, is seeking qualification into the 2007 World Grand Prix. The Puerto Rican captain is Aury Cruz, who earned three AVCA All-American awards while playing at the University of Florida.

* Brazil is the ranked second in the world, according to the latest rankings released Oct. 1. Cuba is ranked fourth in the world rankings, while the USA is ranked fifth.