The United States won an emotional Olympic gold medal in men's volleyball on Sunday, beating top ranked Brazil 3-1.
The improbable US victory capped a roller coaster Games for the team that started in tragedy when head coach Hugh McCutcheon's father-in-law was stabbed to death and mother-in-law severely injured in an attack at a Beijing tourist site.
"He has poured his heart and soul into this over the last few years," US player Richard Lambourne said of McCutcheon, who missed the first three games of the tournament after the attack.
"I'm really glad he was here to experience this with us."
Brazil kicked off the match with a strong 25-20 win in a first set plagued by service errors on both sides.
The United States powered back gaining a 6-0 lead in the beginning of the second set, and held on to win 25-22.
In the third, Brazil kept the game tight, but lost it 25-21 on a service fault. The U.S. trailed for much of the fourth set, but pulled even from a two-point deficit near the end and drove ahead to win 25-23.
The experienced US team kept cool in what Lambourne called a "nerve-racking" match.
"We weren't ready to taste it until the last minute", he added.
Russia beat Italy to win the bronze medal.
