Lang-led Americans set for finals

BEIJING – One more win, and “Jenny” Lang Ping becomes a volleyball savior again.

The U.S. women’s indoor volleyball team dismantled Cuba 3-0 in Thursday’s semifinals of the Beijing Games to secure its first Olympic medal in 16 years and move within a victory of its first gold.

A 25-20, 25-16, 25-17 triumph that lasted 73 minutes puts the No. 4 Americans into the gold-medal match Saturday against No. 1 Brazil, a 3-0 winner over No. 7 China.

As a player, Lang, 47, helped China to a gold with an upset of the U.S. at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. As a coach, she led China to a silver at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

“It’s unbelievable,” Lang said after a wild celebration in which she ran around the court, screaming and hugging anyone in red, white and blue.

Belief turned into reality when No. 3 Cuba, the 2004 Olympic bronze medalists and three-time Olympic champions, collapsed under uncharacteristic mistakes, 10 days after beating the U.S. 3-0 in pool play.

The Americans never trailed by more than a point in the first. They ran away with the second on a 9-3 spurt. And players partied in the third with a 21-15 lead.

“I was surprised about the amount of serves they were missing and the errors they were making,” Kim Glass said. “That came with us keeping the pressure. That tends to happen when you start passing their (serves) so easy. They want to serve harder, or they try to take a little bit off, and it becomes too easy.”

In their last meeting, Brazil topped the U.S. in three sets at the World Grand Prix. The U.S. dropped two of three exhibition matches against Brazil in June at the OTC.

“We’re going to get the gold,” Lindsey Berg said. “Silver is good. But why not get the gold?”

Since China is eliminated from gold-medal contention, most fans in attendance probably will root for the U.S. because of Lang, so popular here she can’t go shopping, catch a movie or walk down the street without being hounded for autographs.

“I’m more happy for the players,” Lang said. “It’s not because I’m not happy. It’s more for the players. It’s their dream.”

Track and field

Dee Dee Trotter will run the anchor leg for the U.S. women in tonight’s preliminary round of the 1,600-meter relay.

The announced lineup also included, in order, Mary Wineberg, Monique Henderson and Natasha Hastings.

Wineberg and Trotter failed to make to the finals at 400 meters. Henderson and Hastings were part of the U.S. team’s relay pool.

The U.S. men’s team was to be announced later.