Hiroshima, Japan, September 12, 2015 - US coach John Speraw believes his side and Italy were a lot closer than the scoreline in their win suggests after they cemented their place at the top of the table with a straight sets win on Saturday.
USA coach John Speraw: "Even though it was 3-0 I think both teams are closer than the final score showed. It was a highly competitive match. Our offense and block have improved. I'm pleased with where were at. We have to start thinking about the next match. It is challenging at a tournament like this because you have to move and and focus on the next match. We would have protested (on Italy's seven substitutions in the 3rd set) if we have not won the set. But I'm not sure exactly what that would have meant. There was an odd tempo to the match at the end. We were able to score at the end and it worked out."
USA captain David Lee: "I'm really happy for the result. Italy is a great team. Our service line efficiency is on track. I think we are in good shape to make a push for the World Cup."
Italy coach Gian Lorenzo Blengini: "USA played very high quality. In many aspects they were superior. We were superior in some aspects. Overall they were superior in more. Our serve was good, but the USA reception was better. The USA blocks humbled our attacks. The USA had more opportunities and took advantage of them."
Italy captain Simone Buti: "It was a tough match. Hard for us. The USA attack was on pace. We did not have a good start in the first set. We played better in the third set. We now look ahead to our match with Japan tomorrow. USA reception was very good. They have had stable reception throughout the tournament. Their serves were good. I don't think there is as much difference between us as the score indicated."