USA - Brazil (full match, USA Volleyball Cup)

World No. 2 USA dug in and defended its home turf in defeating top-ranked Brazil 3:1 (25:22, 25:27, 25:19, 25:19) on the opening day of the USA Volleyball Cup at the Bren Event Centre on the campus of UC Irvine on Saturday. Five USA players reached double-figure scoring led by Jordan Larson-Burbach with 16 points via 12 kills, two aces and two blocks. Kelly Murphy and Kim Hill charted 15 points each, while Foluke Akinradewo chipped in 14 points including a team-high three blocks, and Lauren Gibbemeyer added 10 points with eight kills on 17 attacks and two blocks. “It feels really good,” Hill said. “That’s the first time since I’ve been on the national team that we’ve beaten them.” Brazil’s Fe Garay tallied a team-high 16 points, while Sheilla Castro totalled 11 points. USA converted 36 per cent of its attacks into points as Alisha Glass set the squad, while the South Americans were limited to a 32 kill percentage as USA compiled 53 digs led by Kayla Banwarth’s 15 digs. Hill added 14 digs in the victory. “We played really well together,” Hill said. “We’ve been working on a few things as a team, especially with positive communication.”

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