BEIJING — Clay Stanley can add an Olympic gold medal to his volleyball resume, while a trio of former University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine and a Punahou alum are bringing home a silver medal from the women's event.

Stanley, a Kaiser High and UH alum, had a team-high 15 kills — including the match-winner — three blocks and two aces as the United States beat Brazil, 20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-23, today.

In the women's final, Brazil beat the U.S., 25-15, 18-25, 25-13, 25-21.

This was the first time since the 1984 Los Angeles Games that both the American men and women advanced to the Olympic finals.

For the U.S. men, it is their third Olympic gold medal after claiming the same in 1984 and 1988. They also won a bronze medal at the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Top-ranked Brazil, a two-time gold medalist, was left with the silver medal. Russia won the bronze earlier in the day with a three-set victory over Italy.

The U.S. surge to the title came after coach Hugh McCutcheon's father-in-law was fatally stabbed the day before competition started. McCutcheon missed the team's first three games to be with his wife, a former volleyball Olympian whose mother was also injured in the attack.

McCutcheon hugged his assistants after the final point. Then he buried his head into his hands and quietly walked off the court. He did not return for a long while, and when he did, he embraced veteran Lloy Ball.

McCutcheon raised his hands in victory at the medal ceremony.

"I'm sure he was overwhelmed by everything, not only what happened on the volleyball court," U.S. libero Richard Lambourne said. "It's just something he poured his heart and soul into for the last four years.

"But certainly with the tragedy that befell his family at the beginning of these games, I'm so happy he was able to be here and experience this with us," Lambourne added. "Because he's a huge, if not the biggest, part of our team."

WOMEN

BRAZIL GRABS FIRST GOLD

On a mission to win its first gold medal, the U.S. women's volleyball team pushed Brazil harder yesterday than it had been pushed in these Olympics. In the end, it wasn't enough.

Behind a dominating defense, the world's No. 1 team beat the U.S, 3-1, at the Capital Gymnasium.

It was Brazil's first gold in women's volleyball.

Moments after watching their opponents take a victory lap in front of raucous fans draped in yellow and green, the U.S. women held their heads high, knowing they were the only Olympic team to win a set off Brazil.

"Four years ago, none of us really expected us to be here," captain and Punahou graduate Lindsey Berg said. "It's been a long journey and we've come a long way. We couldn't be more proud of what we've done here."

The U.S. had not won an Olympic medal since getting the bronze at the 1992 games in Barcelona, and they were not a gold medal favorite.

And it had been 24 years since the team had won a silver when it lost to China and superstar Lang Ping, now the U.S. coach, in 1984 in Los Angeles.

"The silver medal is always so bittersweet," Berg said. "It means you had a chance to win gold but you didn't, you came so close. But we went farther than anybody expected. This was a great tournament for us."

Berg will require knee surgery, and plans to have her operation and then rehab. At 28, could she play in London?

"I don't know," she said. "I'm going to take a year off, rehab my knee, rest myself, and see how I feel."

Said former UH All-American Heather Bown: "I love playing with Bergie. She really gives us a spark."

The other former UH stars all saw action against Brazil yesterday.

Bown had 10 kills, while Robyn Ah Mow-Santos and Berg shared setting duties. Kim Willoughby entered as a substitute.