BARCELONA ’92 OLYMPICS : With Everything to Lose, U.S. Is Winner : Women’s volleyball: But nervousness is factor in victory over the Netherlands. Tough Cuban team is next.

The confident U.S. women’s volleyball team was supposed to advance easily to the semifinal round of the Olympics on Tuesday. It did--but only after netting a bad case of butterflies with a little help from its reserves.

“I think we were more nervous than for our opening games because it was a nothing-to-win, everything-to-lose situation,” U.S. Coach Terry Liskevych said. “Everybody expected us to beat newcomer Holland; probably some people will say we should have won, 3-0.”

The United States won, 15-11, 11-15, 15-8, 15-7, dominating the young team from the Netherlands after rocky and erratic early going before 950 at Vall d’Hebron Arena.

With the victory, the U.S. women earned the right to play powerhouse Cuba, which had a quarterfinal bye, in the semifinals Thursday.

In the other quarterfinal match Tuesday, Brazil beat Japan, 14-16, 15-13, 15-13, 15-9, and will play the Commonwealth of Independent States in the other semifinal. Japan couldn’t handle the strong net play of the Brazilians.

“We were very nervous at first, missing assignments early and not sure how it was going to go, “ said U.S outside hitter Caren Kemner, who was decisive in the fourth game with setter Lori Endicott. “But at the same time, we felt confident, and eventually it was: ‘Hey, let’s play.’ ”

Better blocks and stronger attacks carried the game for the Americans against a Dutch team making its Olympic debut with the twin anchors of Italian League stars Henriette Weersing and Cintha Boersman.

“You were the best team tonight,” Canadian-born Dutch Coach Peter Murphy said while congratulating U.S. blocker Paula Weishoff.

Powering from the left in her best showing of the Games, Teee Sanders of Long Beach was the key to the Americans’ 15-11 victory in the opener.

Then the U.S. team seemed to drift, making a series of unforced errors despite repeated Dutch serving mistakes.

The Netherlands won the second game, then fought back from a four-point deficit to tie, 7-7, in the third.

At that point, the tide turned when Liskevych reached liberally into a bench he calls one of the deepest at the Games.

Serving specialist Liane Sato of Santa Monica spelled in the back row; Janet Cobbs and Tara Cross-Battle of Long Beach came in to hit from the outside, and Tammy Liley of Westminster joined the fray in the middle.

The Netherlands began to wilt under the pressure and lost the third game, 15-8, and by then the momentum was all American.

“I don’t think they were used to my style of hitting,” Cross-Battle said.

The Dutch could not match the American power, and the clinching fourth game was no contest, dominated by Endicott-to-Kemner.

Liskevych said his team did not play as well as in beating the CIS earlier in the Games, but well enough to prove the strength of its bench as a key to the American Olympic future.

“What we have is great depth,” he said. “I am comfortable using all our players. Some other teams have stayed almost entirely with their starting lineups. That’s going to catch up with them.”