Aussie Men Qualify for Olympics

Despite losing their last match to Iran, the Volleyball Team Australia Men (VTAM) have qualified for the 2004 Athens Olympics. The VTAM were competing in the 2004 Men's World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Tokyo against Japan, Canada, China, France, Algeria, Iran and Korea for one of two remaining Olympic places.

They did it by the smallest of margins though, edging out China on the ladder by less than 10 points spread over the seven qualifying tournament matches - the two teams were equal on both match wins and total sets won and lost. It is the first time that an Australian indoor volleyball team has qualified for an Olympics in its own right (the Australian mens and womens teams gained automatic entry to the 2000 Sydney Olympics as host nation).

The Australians had to win just one set in their final match of the qualifying tournament against Iran to ensure a berth at the Olympics. However, after some fantastic victories earlier in the week against the likes of Japan, China and Canada, the Aussies couldn't raise their energy levels back up one last time. They lost in straight sets (19-25, 24-26, 23-25) and had to wait for the China-Canada match before knowing their fate. Indeed, the Australian coach, Jon Uriarte, thought they had missed out after losing 0:3 and they were a very disappointed team at the post-match press conference. China did manage to beat Canada 3:0 in the afternoon, but luckily for the Australians, fell just a few points short of a spot at the Olympics.

Australian head coach, Jon Uriarte, hangs his head after losing to Iran. [Credit: FIVB]

Olympic qualification capped off a fantastic couple of weeks for the VTAM. The Australians defeated China in China for the first time ever leading up to the tournament. Although they lost the series against China 1-2, the Australians dominated the attack statistics in their final match and maintained a low error count for an important 3:1 win (17-25, 25-23, 29-27, 25-20).

They started the Olympic Qualifying tournament with a close loss to France (France went on to comfortably win their next three matches in straight sets and easily win the tournament and book their own way to Athens) (18-25, 28-30, 26-28). However, the next day they enjoyed an easy three-set victory over Algeria (who replaced Egypt in the tournament) (25-17, 25-22, 25-16) in front of 4200 spectators.

The most significant match for the Australians in the first half of the tournament though was a fantastic five set win over the hosts Japan - the Australians' first ever victory against Japan in Japan. In front of 10,000 fans, the Australian team used their recent experience in front of opposing crowds to keep their concentration and hold on for a memorable win (21-25, 25-17, 25-14, 19-25, 15-13). Australia's head coach, Jon Uriarte, was suitably proud of his team, calling the match "maybe the best performance ever" during the post-match press conference.

Shane van Beest spikes against a Japanese triple-block. [Credit: FIVB]

Against Canada the following day (May 26), it was a big change in atmosphere as the teams played in front of just 770 spectators. However, the Australian team didn't rest on their laurels, maintaining their good form for another straight sets win (25-19, 25-19, 26-24).

The Volleyball Team Australia Men continued their good run with a four set victory over South Korea. Both the coach and players were happy with their performance, coming out strongly right from the opening point. Korea mixed things up though, playing some new offensive variations, but the Australians managed to adapt and win the match (25-21, 25-15, 21-25, 25-19).

Australian captain, Dan Howard, six-packs the Korean blocker. [Credit: FIVB]

And so it came down to the two remaining matches against China and Iran. A win against China would virtually ensure a berth at this year's Olympic Games (although, as it turned out, that sort of thinking almost cost the Australians a spot as they relaxed against Iran). China must have been favourites going in to their match against the Australians, despite losing to them at home the week before. Both sides began cautiously, but it was the Australians who managed to break free and win key points with their strong work at the net. Surprisingly, the VTAM went on to defeat China in straight sets (25-21, 25-20, 25-19) and head coach Jon Uriarte was understandably pleased with his team's performance. He was quoted after the match, "I'm really proud of my team. We've been working hard for these three years. That came through really good, and my players are playing a really good volleyball together. During this tournament, they showed improvement in concentration and determination." Four Australians reached double figures for total points won (only two for China) and along with four serving aces, showed the Aussie's dominance.

Australian team celebrates their win over China. [Credit: FIVB]

Congratulations to the Australian team and we look forward to seeing them on our tv screens during the Athens Games (note that SBS TV has the rights to volleyball and several other minor sports during the Olympics - maybe we need to start a letter writing campaign to SBS to make sure that volleyball gets coverage).