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U.S. women’s volleyball team knew of killing before match

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The U.S. women’s volleyball team took to the court on Saturday to play Japan with the knowledge that the father of a 2004 U.S. Olympics volleyball player had been killed just hours earlier at a Beijing landmark.

Todd Bachman of Lakeville, Minn., had been stabbed to death by an attacker who subsequently jumped to his death, authorities said. Bachman’s wife, Barbara, also was injured during the midday attack. The Los Angeles Times story has details about the assault, which occurred on the second floor of the Drum Tower, a popular tourist attraction on a busy street that is just five miles from the main Olympic venues.

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Bachman was the father of former UCLA volleyball player Elisabeth Bachman McCutcheon, who played volleyball for the U.S. at the 2004 Athens Games. She is married to U.S. men’s volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon. She was with her parents at the Drum Tower, but was not injured.

U.S. volleyball player Stacy Sykora told the Associated Press that the women’s team had been awakened from naps on Saturday afternoon and told of the attack.

“It was a reaction that I don’t even have to describe,’ Sykora said. ‘You have to understand what Liz Bachman is to USA Volleyball. She’s probably the nicest person in the entire world, her and her family. Her family is like our family because they traveled with us, she fought in the 2004 Olympics with us, she was my roommate in 2004.”

‘It’s hard to put into words,’ U.S. player Logan Tom told the AP after the U.S. volleyball team beat Japan 3-1 (25-20, 20-25, 25-19, 25-21). ‘That’s not something that’s supposed to happen.’

Players huddled on the court for several moments after the game, according to the AP. Some cried, others embraced. They waved to the fans who chanted “U-S-A!” during the game, before solemnly leaving the court.

“You know, there are a lot of things we cannot control,’ U.S. women’s coach Jenny Lang Ping told AP. ‘The thing we can control is ourselves. Try to deal with it. Try to be strong.’

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“Of course, it’s a very, very difficult time and it’s the first time in my life to deal with that situation before a game,’ Lang Ping said. ‘I have to be patient and let players get over it and cheer for them and help them.”

“It is impossible to describe the depth of our sadness and shock in this tragic hour,” U.S. Olympic Committee Chairman Peter Ueberroth said in a statement on the USOC website. “Our delegation comes to the Games as a family, and when one member of our family suffers a loss, we all grieve with them. Our thoughts, prayers and deepest condolences are with the Bachman and McCutcheon families.”

As expected, the U.S. team won an enthusiastic reception from fans at Beijing’s Capital Gymnasium because Lang Ping is a sports icon in China. Lang Ping, who has coached the American women since 2005, was known during her playing days as the “Iron Hammer” because of her powerful spikes.

-- Greg Johnson

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