"It'll hit me in a few weeks, probably when I'm sitting on the couch," the 19-year-old said Saturday (Friday night EDT) after the Americans had lost to Brazil in the bronze medal match Saturday. "That's when I'll realize what an awesome environment this was, and what a special experience this was."
Brazil had too much quickness and strength for Tom and her teammates, winning its second straight bronze by defeating the worn-out Americans 25-18, 25-22, 25-21.
Taking fourth was still a remarkable achievement for the United States, which finished seventh in Atlanta and entered this tournament ranked 10th in the world. It wasn't expected to challenge for a medal until 2004 at the earliest.
"I'm really proud of this team," said Tara Cross-Battle, who played her last Olympic match at age 32. "We have nothing to hold our heads down about. We were coming in here ranked 10th, and nobody believed in us but ourselves, and I think we did really well."
With only two players with Olympic experience--Cross-Battle and Danielle Scott--the Americans were just hoping to make the quarterfinals. They did that, and beat a tenacious South Korean team to get within a victory of the gold-medal match before losing in five sets in the semifinals to Russia.
That loss took a lot out of the U.S. team, which appeared drained and without much spring in their legs early on against Brazil. Hitters Leila Barros, Virna Dias and Erika Coimbra helped Brazil jump to an 18-9 lead and an easy opening-game win.
"We did come out a little flat," said Tom, a Stanford sophomore at Stanford who will head back to school a week after classes began. "We didn't have the fire we usually have. Our fire and our determination usually pulls us through a lot. I would say we beat ourselves a little bit out there."
The U.S. team's best chance for a comeback came in the second game, when Scott and Sarah Noriega teamed up to stuff Dias on two straight points to finish a 5-0 run and give the Americans a 13-10 lead.
Brazil answered with a 4-1 run of its own, and Dias, in her comfort zone on the left side of the net, broke a 21-all tie with three impressive kills in four points.
The Americans rallied in the third game, getting within 24-21, but Dias crushed a ball off the block to win it.
"When we started this program in 1997, we felt like we could target Brazil as the team we most want to be like, because of their style of play, their enthusiasm and what they do for volleyball," said coach Mick Haley, who will take over the program at Southern California. "We thought maybe we could repay them today by beating them, but it didn't work out the way we had hoped."
Asked whether the team could match its success, or improve on it, in Athens, Cross-Battle was cautiously optimistic.
"It'll be difficult," she said. "We're having a new coach brought in, and no one knows who it is right now, so I think if the young players will come back and stay together, then it'll be a good team."
Olympic Volleyball
