The USA women’s volleyball team qualified for an Olympic berth at the FIVB World Cup in Japan with a win over the host country, bringing the U.S. record for the tournament to 9-1. They’re assured of one of the three top spots in the tournament - and the top three can punch their tickets for China next year. It will be a homecoming for U.S. coach “Jenny” Lang Ping, perhaps China’s most recognizable volleyball superstar in history and the hero of the gold-medal-winning 1984 Olympic squad that beat the United States in the final. This will be one of the hottest tickets in Beijing - Lang Ping is still revered in China and she’s very much a part of the Chinese volleyball scene as well.

Team USA secures 2008 Olympic Games berth (USA Volleyball)