By An Olympic atmosphere swept over the Walter Pyramid on Friday night, as fans from all over Southern California converged to watch the United States and Japan women’s volleyball teams square off in the second match of the USA Volleyball Cup.
With “Team USA” chants echoing throughout the crowd, American flags waving and a small handful of fans showing up dressed head to toe in patriotic regalia, it was a unique night at the Walter Pyramid.
“It’s awesome to show my kids; I went to school with [former Long Beach State volleyball player] Danielle [Scott-Arruda] and it’s literally like the Olympics coming to Long Beach,” Long Beach resident Russ Fox said.
The first set of the night was taken by Team USA, 25-17. However, set number two saw Japan jump out to an early lead and at one point pull away. After a quick timeout, USA started to gain momentum and mount what ultimately would be the comeback of the match.
Middle blocker Lauren Paolini led the way with 12 kills total for the Americans and played a major role in getting Team USA back into set two.
The United States was able to force the set into extra points and take a 26-24 win, going up two sets to none in the match.
“It’s really cool to see everyone get into it, especially in the second set how close they were and how intense it got,” Southern California resident Peter Luis said.
Down 2-0 in the match, Japan came out with vengeance in set number three. The Japanese took control from the beginning of the match and were able to throw Team USA off with energetic play. The final score for set three saw Japan bounce back with a 25-18 win, making the Japan contingent erupt with cheers.
It was then that the teams found themselves in a familiar situation. Just the day before, Japan and the United States faced off in a four-set match in San Diego, where the Americans came out on top with a 3-1 victory.
Both teams came out strong and went head-to-head with one another in the highly contestable set. In the end, team USA was able to squeak out a 25-20 win, and with that a 3-1 game victory.
“I think they both brought all they could to the court, and it was very entertaining to watch,” LBSU student Camillyn Morrison said.
LBSU had a lone representative in the match, as Scott-Arruda took the court with the Americans at her alma mater. Scott-Arruda has played with Team USA for more than 16 years and won a silver medal in the London Olympics last summer.
With the USA Volleyball Cup concluded, the Walter Pyramid will return to its role as a gym for the rest of summer. The next LBSU game at the Walter Pyramid will be played on Aug. 30, when The Beach takes on Illinois in the Long Beach State Mizuno Invitational.
