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Day 6, June 13, 2005
USA "White" (Kevin/Santiago’s Team) vs. ARG YNT in Cordoba Capital By Stefanie Alde (Northwestern University)
Today was an early morning. The coaches were able to get the teams an hour’s worth of training which we really needed. During practice we figured out our defensive system to reduce the confusion the team was having. Both teams scrimmaged and the hitters got a chance to find a rhythm with the setters. Later in the day, we all had about four hours off the go shopping and grab a bight to eat at the local mall in town.
Our team left for the gym at 6:00pm and the match started at 7:00. Tonight we were all very pumped and ready to beat this team once and for all. When we arrived, the usual loud, cheering crowd we were used to seeing wasn’t in the gym. Compared to last night when the gym and crowd was raging with fans, the atmosphere here tonight was kind of quiet.
The match started off very close but unfortunately Argentina pulled ahead for the win (25-22). We weren’t ready to give up yet! The team came back strong and competed very well by attacking Argentina in the next two games (25-22, 25-11), putting USA in the lead 3 games to 1.
The fourth game was quite intense. Both teams were aggressive, USA fighting to win the match and Argentina fighting to stay alive. Although Argentina took the fourth, USA still had fire in their eyes to go home with a W on their shoulders. Argentina took a quick lead in the fifth and USA couldn’t seem to
catch up. The final score of the fifth was 15-12 Argentina.
Day 6 continued
USA "Red" (Tom and Mark’s Team) vs. ARG National "B" Team By Renata Dargan, Purdue
As Stephanie said, after only a few hours of sleep the night before, the two teams were able to get a practice in before the match today. The gym that we were playing in definitely made us appreciate our playing environments in the US.
After practice, the teams split up and had lunch. We found a restaurant where we could eat something other than ham and then went to the town square. There was a huge cathedral and many shops around the area where we took some pictures and did a little shopping.
After shopping we were able to take a short nap before our match at 9:00. We left the hotel, watched the other team play, and prepared for our match. The gym was not as crowded as the previous matches but still loud by the time our match was ready to get started.
The start of the match was the complete opposite from the night before. We came out with a lot of determination and enthusiasm and pulled a win in the first game. The second game had a few struggles and a lot of service runs by the opponent and we were not able to answer back. We came back in the third game determined to be up and won, but then lost the fourth. Going into the fifth game we knew the match was ours. With an early lead, we took advantage and eventually beat the Argentineans. It was nice to beat them again and have a turn around from the night before. Final score: USA wins 3-2: 25-23, 18-25, 25-21, 18-25, 15-10
ARG Head Coach Guillermo Orduna after the match
After going back to the hotel and taking a quick shower, we went to a dinner that was planned by the town and enjoyed some good food and tons of Latin dancing. Out on the dance floor we were able to bond with the Argentinean team and had a great time. Before we knew it, it was three in the morning and it was time to go back to the hotel to get ready for our travels after a short few hours of sleep.
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