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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Max Holt did a little bit of everything. At the net, digging balls from just off the floor, finishing points with big, leaping swings.He and David Lee stuffed the Italians with stellar blocking. Setter Micah Christenson contributed his own blocks and even a kill to end the third set. Matt Anderson, Aaron Russell and Taylor Sander provided power hitting from every corner.Mighty Italy just had a little more in a match that will surely become an Olympic volleyball classic as the Italians ended the gold-medal aspirations for the U.S. mens volleyball team in a second straight Olympics.For nearly 2 1/2 hours Friday, the young, overachieving Americans stayed with an Italian group that U.S. coach John Speraw considers the worlds most talented and destined for gold in Brazil.The Americans, who began the tournament with an 0-2 start that included a loss to Italy 10 days earlier, ran off four straight victories before falling in a riveting five-set semifinal that Italy won 30-28, 26-28, 9-25, 25-22, 15-9.This team fought the entire time, Lee said. Losing that first set made us fight even harder. We couldnt sustain that same level we had in the second and third to put the team out in the fourth set. We had an advantage in the fourth, we had a small lull in energy and thats when they came back, and they have such good servers that team can come back at any time and be back in a game. You can never count them out.The Italians will play for gold Sunday against Brazil, which defeated defending Olympic champion Russia 25-21, 25-22, 25-17 in Fridays other semifinal. Brazil will be playing in its fourth straight final and will be looking for its first gold since 2004 in Athens. Italy won the bronze in 2012 in London.It was strange. There was a really strong force inside us telling us, `Dont give up, keep fighting, Italys Ivan Zaytsev said.His team fought, all right. Afterward, the players fell to the floor, piling on each other.Lee brought his American teammates into a huddle for an embrace. Then Anderson and Sander clapped to the crowd as the U.S. waited at the net to shake hands with the winners.In the fifth set, Osmany Juantorena served an ace for a 12-8 lead and Russell let a ball drop as Holt covered his face with his shirt.After an embarrassing third-set flop, Italy forced a deciding fifth set by closing the fourth on a 6-0 run -- getting three straight aces by Zaytsev, including the next-to-last point that was initially called long but overturned on review for set point.Today, the teams have played more than a match, Italy coach Gianlorenzo Blengini said.The American men have eight first-time Olympians.Im really sad this team didnt make it because theyre so good and they deserved to be in the final, said Lee, who won gold in Beijing eight years ago and is in his third Olympics. I dont care about how old they are. Theyre fighters.The U.S. will play for bronze, just like the top-ranked American women, who lost in five sets to Serbia on Thursday.The intensity of Fridays match was captured in a wild first set in which the Americans had five set points. With the score 25-25, Italys Massimo Colaci made a lunging, one-handed get from the ground before teammate Filippo Lanza sent the ball over the net from his knees near the baseline to keep the rally going.The score was tied again, at 28. Russell signaled that Italy captain Emanuele Birarellis serve was going out and let the ball drop. Italys players rushed the net to argue to referee Arturo di Giacomo of Belgium, contending the Americans touched the ball. He overruled the call and what had gone to a 29-28 lead for the U.S. suddenly turned to 29-28 for Italy, which won the set 30-28.My players gave it everything that they could today. I couldnt ask any more, Speraw said. I almost feel today we need to mourn. Nike Air Max 90 Sverige . They hope to persuade the other team owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to put pressure on Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to drop the nickname they find offensive. "Given the way the meeting transpired," Ray Halbritter, an Oneida representative and leader of the "Change the Mascot Campaign," said Wednesday, "it became somewhat evident they were defending the continued use of the name. Nike Air Max 270 Rea . Kiriasis and brakeman Franziska Fritz finished two runs in one minute 55.41 seconds -- a mere 0.01 seconds ahead of Meyers and Lolo Jones, who likely bolstered her Olympic hopes by helping give USA-1 a huge push in the second heat. http://www.reaairmaxsverige.com/air-max-95-rabatt.html . Still, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke thought taking him out before the fifth inning was an unusual move. "Im looking up at the board and hes got two hits given up and one run, and Im taking him out after the fourth inning," Roenicke said. Nike Air Max 720 Sverige . -- Ty Montgomery had 290 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, and fifth-ranked Stanford held on to beat No. Nike Air Max 1 Sverige . The 43-year-old closer, in his 19th and final big league season, has said hed like to play the outfield. Yankees manager Joe Girardi says hes thinking about allowing Rivera to do it this weekend, when the Yankees finish their season with a three-game series at the Houston Astros. UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- No. 24 Cincinnati got back into the paint Sunday and back into the win column.Kyle Washington had 16 points and 17 rebounds and the Bearcats beat Penn State 71-50 in the consolation game of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off.Jacob Evans added 14 points for Cincinnati (3-1), which bounced back from a loss to No. 21 Rhode Island on Saturday by dominating the Nittany Lions.Cincinnati shot 50 percent for the game (30 for 60) doing much of their damage in the lane, where they had a 34-18 scoring advantage.We had some talks (last night), said Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin. You try to win with jump shots, youre not going to make the NCAA tournament. We understand how to make it. Youve got to play defense, got to rebound and youve got to do it with toughness.Shep Garner had 20 points to lead Penn State (2-3), after scoring 15 in the teams 10-point loss Saturday to top-ranked Duke.This one wasnt nearly as competitive.The Bearcats put the game away early, using an 18-1 run to build a 32-10 advantage.Washington, a North Carolina State transfer, had 10 of his points and seven rebounds in the first half when the Bearcats shot 59 percent from the field, getting inside almost at will. They went into halftime leading 34-19.We have to be focused on playing as a unit, Washington said. Im not saying it because it sounds good, but we have to keep on working.Cincinnati outrebounded Penn State 40-26, including 10-3 on the offensive boards.We just decided if we really wanted to win and be a great team, we were going to have to buy in and do what Coach has been telling us, Evans said. Weve got to play defense, rebound and play with toughness. We finally bought into that and it showed today.BIG PICTURECincinnati: The Bearcats were defeated at their own ggame of aggressiveness and hustle in the loss to Rhode Island .dddddddddddd. The Rams won the rebounding battle by nine and had 16 offensive boards. We got away from our identity in the second half yesterday, Cronin said. I know theyd rather have played today than dealt with me in practice. Lets just be honest.... Senior guard Troy Caupain, the American Athletic Conferences preseason player of the year, averaged 10 points, five rebounds and 5.3 assists in his first three games. He had 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists on Sunday.Penn State: Coach Patrick Chambers came to Mohegan Sun looking for progress. He felt the 78-68 loss to No. 1 Duke on Saturday qualified as a step forward . And Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski gave the Nittany Lions high praise. That was a good win for us against a program thats emerging, he said.Sundays effort was a step back, but coach Patrick Chambers said that will happen with a young team that starts three freshmen.I was wary going into this game after playing and competing so hard yesterday and having such a quick team and playing an older team, we really didnt respond in that first four to eight minutes, he said.POLL IMPLICATIONSCincinnati likely will fall from the Top 25 after Saturdays loss to No. 21 Rhode Island, despite the strong bounce-back effort against the Nittany Lions.UP NEXTCincinnati: After the weekend trip to Connecticut, the Bearcats return home to play Samford Wednesday night. Cincinnatis next big test comes Dec. 1 at Iowa State.Penn State: Colgate visits Happy Valley on Wednesday. After Thanksgiving, Penn State travels to George Washington on Saturday. ' ' '