Japan Forces U.S. to Five Sets Before Losing in Volleyball

After winning almost every volleyball championship imaginable in the last five years, the U.S. men’s national team has struggled to rebuild after losing four starters in the last year.

And things didn’t get any easier against the Japanese national team Friday night at the Sports Arena.

The Americans, two-time defending Olympic champions and ranked No. 1 in the world, held on for a tough 15-13, 15-6, 9-15, 7-15, 15-12 win before a crowd of 2,876.

The victory was the Americans’ third in four matches against Japan on an eight-stop tour through Japan and the United States.

The teams were tied, 8-8, in the final game, but two ace blocks by Bryan Ivie and an ace serve by Adam Johnson sparked a 7-4 run by the Americans.

Earlier, Japan capitalized on several errors by the Americans, who lost starters Karch Kiraly, Steve Timmons, Craig Buck and Doug Partie to the pro beach and Italian leagues since the 1988 Olympics.

The U.S. team also played without two of its best players, Bob Ctvrtlik of Long Beach and Scott Fortune of Laguna Beach. Ctvrtlik was attending a wedding, and Fortune was nursing an ankle injury. Ctvrtlik and setter Jeff Stork, the only remaining starters from the 1988 team, plan to leave after the World Cup championships in November to play professionally in Italy.