Photo courtesy of FIVB
From practices at the Gold Mine to winning silver on the international stage, Long Beach State alums Danielle Scott-Arruda and Tayyiba Haneef-Park (as well as the rest of their teammates, of course) have done Long Beach proud once again. Both saw significant playing time as starters throughout the games, where the American team finished 6-2 after a four-set loss to Brazil in the gold medal match earlier today. While the team seemed disappointed to end the tournament on a loss, they also demonstrated an awareness of the monumental nature of their victory: in 44 years of competition, this is the US Women’s team’s third medal, the last being a silver that came 24 years ago in Los Angeles. The medal caps an emotional Olympics that saw uneven play from the fourth-ranked US team, which ultimately exceeded all expectations to capture the silver, after defeating second and third-ranked Italy and Cuba in the elimination rounds.
In addition to the all-important team accomplishments, our former 49ers did well on their own, too, as Haneef-Park was the team’s second-highest scorer (with 102) and Scott-Arruda its fourth highest. The duo were also the 6th and 11th highest scoring players of any team in the overall tournament, respectively. For Haneef-Park, this is unlikely to be the end—it’s only her second Olympics, and she’s emerging more and more each year as a force to be reckoned with on the international scene; unless she has other plans for August of 2012, look for her to return to the Olympics again. For Scott-Arruda, it’s likely a wonderful performance to end a record-tying career. Scott-Arruda was competing in her fourth Olympics with the USA team, the most times a player has appeared with the team, save for Tara Cross-Battle (also a LBSU alum).
Their loss drops Long Beach’s overall Olympic record to 28-4-1, but means that Long Beach teams have now won a gold and two silvers. There are still two more teams with local athletes left to compete (they’ll both be in the gold medal match and you can read all about it on the TV Schedule below). Congratulations to the American women—especially Scott-Arruda and Haneef-Park, of course—on their amazing accomplishment. Let’s get ’em in London, ladies!