US men’s volleyball in FIVB finals

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There is $1 million on the line for the U.S. Men’s National Volleyball team as it readies for Wednesday’s (9:15 a.m. PDT) FIVB World League final-round match against Poland in Rio de Janeiro.

That’s how much money the World League champion wins. Also eying that rich final-round pot are Brazil, Japan, Poland, Serbia and Russia -- teams that the U.S. would play in the FIVB tournament. Each national team also has qualified for the Beijing Games, although only Japan is in the same Olympic pool as the U.S.

The U.S. squad heads into the final round on a two-game losing streak, having lost twice to Bulgaria. But the squad had played without four starters -- Lloy Ball (Fort Wayne, Ind.), Ryan Millar (Palmdale), Reid Priddy (Richmond, Va.) and Clay Stanley (Honolulu) -– because it already had enough victories to win its pool. All four will play in the final round.

“We are very happy to have made the final round,” U.S. head coach Hugh McCutcheon said. “It will be an important part of our preparation to Beijing. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not just a test. The World League is a really big event. Poland and Serbia will be fantastic opponents for us.”

Brazil, Russia, Poland and the United States all advanced to the final round by winning their pools, though Brazil, as host country, would have advanced automatically.

Serbia advanced as the second-place team behind Brazil in their pool. Japan finished third (behind Poland and China) and won the wild card berth.

More information on the tournament is available on the FIVB website.

-- Greg Johnson