Stanley stars as USA take men's volleyball title from Brazil

BEIJING (AFP) - The United States, led by the tournament's best player Clayton Stanley, won the Olympic men's volleyball gold on Sunday beating defending champions Brazil by three sets to one in the final.

Stanley, the top scorer and server in Beijing, killed off the Brazilians at the second match point with an emblematic cross-court smash that their inspirational captain Gilberto Godoy Filho was unable to return.

"It sure hasn't sunk in yet. This was such a hard-fought battle," said William Priddy, who contributed 12 points including eight spikes to the victory.

"A gold medal in the Olympics is a huge victory for us," said team-mate Sean Rooney, referring to a campaign that was overshadowed by the killing of head coach Hugh McCutcheon's father-in-law who was stabbed to death at a tourist site here at the start of the Games.