Spiking It To Them

The Soviets almost did that on Sunday night, winning the first two games of the championship match 15-11 and 16-14 before the United States team rallied dramatically 15-9, 15-10 and 15-4 for the victory, thus confirming Parchin's theories about the pupil-teacher relationship and about the competitive "fire" of the American players.

The U.S. showing in the tournament was so convincing that some opponents have already conceded them the gold in Seoul. "It is a foregone conclusion that the United States and the Soviets will finish one and two in Korea," said Alain Fabiani, France's brilliant setter. "The rest of us are just going for the bronze."

"Training for the last Olympics was like going up Mount Fuji without a shirt on," said Timmons. "We had a lot of goose bumps, and each step we took was new and exciting. This year we've got experience. We'll be wearing long underwear."