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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Max Holt did a little bit of everything. At the net, digging balls from just off the floor, finishing points with big, leaping swings.He and David Lee stuffed the Italians with stellar blocking. Setter Micah Christenson contributed his own blocks and even a kill to end the third set. Matt Anderson, Aaron Russell and Taylor Sander provided power hitting from every corner.Mighty Italy just had a little more in a match that will surely become an Olympic volleyball classic as the Italians ended the gold-medal aspirations for the U.S. mens volleyball team in a second straight Olympics.For nearly 2 1/2 hours Friday, the young, overachieving Americans stayed with an Italian group that U.S. coach John Speraw considers the worlds most talented and destined for gold in Brazil.The Americans, who began the tournament with an 0-2 start that included a loss to Italy 10 days earlier, ran off four straight victories before falling in a riveting five-set semifinal that Italy won 30-28, 26-28, 9-25, 25-22, 15-9.This team fought the entire time, Lee said. Losing that first set made us fight even harder. We couldnt sustain that same level we had in the second and third to put the team out in the fourth set. We had an advantage in the fourth, we had a small lull in energy and thats when they came back, and they have such good servers that team can come back at any time and be back in a game. You can never count them out.The Italians will play for gold Sunday against Brazil, which defeated defending Olympic champion Russia 25-21, 25-22, 25-17 in Fridays other semifinal. Brazil will be playing in its fourth straight final and will be looking for its first gold since 2004 in Athens. Italy won the bronze in 2012 in London.It was strange. There was a really strong force inside us telling us, `Dont give up, keep fighting, Italys Ivan Zaytsev said.His team fought, all right. Afterward, the players fell to the floor, piling on each other.Lee brought his American teammates into a huddle for an embrace. Then Anderson and Sander clapped to the crowd as the U.S. waited at the net to shake hands with the winners.In the fifth set, Osmany Juantorena served an ace for a 12-8 lead and Russell let a ball drop as Holt covered his face with his shirt.After an embarrassing third-set flop, Italy forced a deciding fifth set by closing the fourth on a 6-0 run -- getting three straight aces by Zaytsev, including the next-to-last point that was initially called long but overturned on review for set point.Today, the teams have played more than a match, Italy coach Gianlorenzo Blengini said.The American men have eight first-time Olympians.Im really sad this team didnt make it because theyre so good and they deserved to be in the final, said Lee, who won gold in Beijing eight years ago and is in his third Olympics. I dont care about how old they are. Theyre fighters.The U.S. will play for bronze, just like the top-ranked American women, who lost in five sets to Serbia on Thursday.The intensity of Fridays match was captured in a wild first set in which the Americans had five set points. With the score 25-25, Italys Massimo Colaci made a lunging, one-handed get from the ground before teammate Filippo Lanza sent the ball over the net from his knees near the baseline to keep the rally going.The score was tied again, at 28. Russell signaled that Italy captain Emanuele Birarellis serve was going out and let the ball drop. Italys players rushed the net to argue to referee Arturo di Giacomo of Belgium, contending the Americans touched the ball. He overruled the call and what had gone to a 29-28 lead for the U.S. suddenly turned to 29-28 for Italy, which won the set 30-28.My players gave it everything that they could today. I couldnt ask any more, Speraw said. I almost feel today we need to mourn. Lou Brock . With their top three point guards and Kobe Bryant all sidelined by injury, the Lakers signed Marshall out of the D-League on Friday before their home game against Minnesota. Custom Cardinals T-shirts .ca NBA Power Rankings, ahead of the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. http://www.custommlbcardinalsjersey.com/custom-bruce-sutter-jersey-large-251q.html . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. Keith Hernandez . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. Matt Carpenter . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. CHICAGO -- Scott Darling is getting into a groove. The banged-up Chicago Blackhawks are playing smart and tight in front of him.On Sunday night, it all worked perfectly.Marian Hossa, Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin scored to lead the Central Division-leading Blackhawks over the Dallas Stars 3-1.Darling made 23 saves in his fifth straight start while No. 1 goalie Corey Crawford recovers from an appendectomy. Darling has permitted just seven goals during the stretch, but the Blackhawks have scored only nine while going 2-2-1.You get into a rhythm, Darling said. You feel more comfortable. And the guys have been playing great defense the last four games.Coach Joel Quenneville appreciated what he saw from the net on out.Overall, our whole team game, I really liked tonight, Quenneville said. We managed the puck a little bit better and scored some timely goals as well.Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews missed his ninth game and defenseman Brent Seabrook his second with upper-body injuries. That means the Blackhawks dont have as much firepower to throw around -- even if the 37-year-old Hossa scored his team-leading 15th goal and has three in three games.It was definitely a good test of what we can do without key players, Hossa said. Its hard to replace guys like that.Devin Shore scored for Dallas, which lost its second straight and third in four. The Stars struggled to generate much offensive pressure against the Blackhawks on the heels of a 4-2 loss at Philadelphia on Saturday.I think our guys feel a lot of pressure right now with our scoring being down, coach Lindy Ruff said. Last year we could wash some of our mistakes under the carpet. This year, the big mistakes are really standing out.Dallas Kari Lehtonen blocked 24 shots while making his fifth straight start. The scuffling Stars are in sixth place in the Central and 11th in the Western Conference.We put ourselves in a tough spot, but theres no reason we cant turn this around, forward Jamie Benn said. The way were losing is unacceptable.Both Toews and Seabrook took part in the teams morning skate on Sunday, with Toews getting back on the ice for the first time in a week. The center, reportedly dealing with a back injury, said he never has experienced his current condition before.You almost have to sit around and wait for it to heal and get better, Toews said. Sometimes you feel good andd all of a sudden you do some little movements here or there that seem to just fire everything up.ddddddddddddDallas defenseman Jamie Oleksiak sat out the first game of a two-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Flyers forward Chris VandeVelde in the third period of the Stars 4-2 loss at Philadelphia on Saturday.Defenseman Johnny Oduya returned to the Stars lineup after missing 10 games with a lower-body injury and took Oleksiaks place.The teams played a scoreless first with only a handful of chances. Darling made a quick right pad save on Curtis McKenzies point-blank deflection with 6:30 left in the period.Shore opened the scoring at 1:25 of the second, batting in a loose puck to cap an odd-man break and flurry around Chicagos net. After McKenzie deflected Shores feed wide, John Klingberg shoveled the puck in front to Shore, who connected from the doorstep.Hossa tied it at 1 just 52 seconds later on a drive from left wing that trickled under Lehtonens blocker.Anisimov knocked in a rebound of Ryan Hartmans point-blank attempt with 7:30 left in the second for his 12th goal to put Chicago ahead 2-1. After leaving the penalty box and taking a long feed from Trevor van Riemsdyk, Hartman beat defenseman Stephen Johns and cut in alone. Lehtonen stopped Hartmans low shot, but Anisimov swept in and scored before Johns could recover.Panarins power-play goal midway through the third made it 3-1. Positioned low in the left circle, Panarin ripped in his 11th goal from a sharp angle -- and just inside the left post -- after taking a perfect feed from Duncan Keith.Game notes Dallas and former Blackhawks F Patrick Sharp sat out his fifth game with concussion-like symptoms. Ruff said the 34-year-old Sharp is going full bore skating and working out on his own, but theres no timetable for his return. ... Stars D Dan Hamhuis played his 900th game. ... Dallas healthy scratches were D Patrik Nemeth and F Lauri Korpikoski. Chicagos was D Michal Kempny.UP NEXT:Stars: Host Anaheim on Tuesday to start a five-game homestand. Dallas plays eight of its next nine at home.Blackhawks: Head to New York to play the Rangers on Tuesday and Islanders on Thursday. Chicagos three-game road trip concludes at St. Louis on Saturday. ' ' '