RIO DE JANEIRO -- Never did Karch Kiraly expect the womens volleyball Group B winner to go unblemished.He probably had little idea captain Christa Dietzen would be the one to deliver during the latest impressive U.S. victory, either.Dietzen made the final kill of the third set and provided a big lift off the bench, helping the top-ranked Americans (5-0) put themselves in prime position in this Olympic tournament. They responded from a one-set deficit to beat China 22-25, 25-17, 25-19, 25-19 on Sunday, and now will face Japan in the Rio de Janeiro Games quarterfinals Tuesday at Maracanazinho arena. China must face two-time defending champion Brazil (5-0), which swept Russia in Sundays late match and is yet to drop a set.All along, Dietzen has accepted her role in Rio -- limited or otherwise, like Sunday.I love whatever role Im given, I think its great to come off the bench, to be a starter, said the 29-year-old Dietzen, who has been working closely with team high-performance psychologist Michael Gervais during this trip. Its important for athletes to develop their ability to be their best from any position. When the team needs me, Im ready to go in.Dietzen, nicknamed Mom by her teammates for all her care and used sparingly so far in Brazil, delivered. Her teammates couldnt have been more proud to see it.This team has just so much trust in her as our captain, and with the experience that she has shes a real stabilizing influence, Kiraly said.They joke shes a caged lion, too.We call her mom, and shes more of a mom to me than anybody on the team, Kelsey Robinson said. She has been someone who has taken me under the wing since my first year. Wed go to lunch, shed take me to dinner. ... I love the way she plays, I love the way she fights. For her to be such a great teammate in the role shes been asked to do and get her shot tonight, Im so proud of her.China coach Jenny Lang Ping, who once coached the Americans, and Kiraly are both looking to become the first to win volleyball gold as a player and coach.Kiraly certainly isnt getting ahead of himself. Sure, the U.S. took a nice step forward to the goal of reaching the top of the medal podium for the programs first gold ever.The Americans, silver medalists the past two Olympics behind Brazil, dropped five sets in all.Im more surprised that somebody went undefeated than they didnt, Kiraly said. We got pushed a lot, and that was all good for us.This marked the 11th meeting between the countries since the U.S. beat China for the 2014 world championship title. The Americans have won eight of 12 meetings since then. After a June 12 loss in China, the Americans bounced back with victories on June 26 in Hong Kong and July 8 in Bangkok.On Sunday, Dietzen did the very thing veteran players do when called upon: She had herself ready for the moment when needed.Its very important for her to help their team when shes a substitute for the younger players, and the younger players are probably more calm to play, Ping said. Shes a great blocker, too. Every time, she gives our attack lots of trouble.Earlier, Italy captain Antonella Del Core said a tearful Olympic goodbye.She thanked everyone in the crowd over the public address system after her final match with the team and a straight-set win against Puerto Rico. Her Italian teammates threw her in the air again and again, and had written on their arms, Grazie Cap (hashtag)15 with a heart. Ashley Young Jersey . 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With five minutes left in the second quarter of Team USAs July 26 exhibition game in Oakland against China, Kevin Durant, coming off a ball screen set by teammate DeMarcus Cousins on the right wing, looked poised to prey on the mismatch in front of him.Durant?deftly crossed over a lumbering Chinese big man and drove into the paint. But just as he got off the ground outside the restricted area for what looked like an easy left-handed layup, he was met in midair by an even lengthier body wearing a white No. 15 jersey. Apparently bothered by the high no-fly zone established by the defenders ridiculously long arm, Durant lost control of the ball.What exactly happened in this play? It depends on whom you ask.For Durant, one of Team USAs (and the worlds) most prolific scorers, it might simply be an offensive turnover. Chinese media, however, insisted it was solid swat by Zhou Qi, the 7-foot-2 forward who was tasked with guarding Durant on most occasions that night.In no time, headlines featuring Zhou Qis huge block on Durant permeated Chinese sports news outlets. Speaking to media after the game, Zhou, the Houston Rockets second-round draft pick this year, made no mention of his block on his idol, but rather displayed humility.This type of matchup means something significant to me, the 20-year-old said. [Durant] is the role model that I should learn from, and he has a very large influence on my practice and games. For me, matching him up on the court is a very rare opportunity.The root of Zhous much-hyped rivalry against Durant -- as depicted in a Chinese media poster previewing the Oakland game -- could be traced to Zhous response to an interview question the week before.Asked about his expectation from Chinas Olympics opener against Team USA, Zhou said besides hoping to help China play a good game, he would make an effort to deliver Durant a block.The fanfare that ensued is understandable. Durant is Zhous favorite NBA player. Although the two play different positions (Durant usually plays the 3 while Zhou is normally a 4), they share some similarities -- theyre both long, lean, nimble and prefer to do most of their work from the perimeter over the paint.Durant might not be aware of the rivalry, but Zhou certainly made an impression on him.The young player they had that was picked by Houston is pretty good, Durant said of Zhou days after the game. He is long, he is agile and he can shoot the basketball really well.Since Yi Jianlians departure from the Dallas Mavericks in 2012, China has been eagerly looking to fill the void of Chinese players in the NBA. As the countrys best big man, Zhou shows promise that hell be the one to live up to Chinese expectations.Among those thrilled is Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, who watched Zhou score a team-high 13 points in Oakland.Zhou Qi high scorer vs team USA tonight #toughopponent- Daryl Morey (@dmorey) July 27, 2016Morey -- now almost a household name among Chinas NBA fans, many of whom are rabid Rockets fans due in large part to retired Rockets All-Star?Yao Ming?-- might understand Chinas expectaations for Zhou best.dddddddddddd He was in the midst of all the rumors and chatters leading up to the Rockets seemingly surprising selection with the No. 43 pick, after other teams favored by Chinese media and fans passed on Zhou.It only became clear later that the Rockets move on ?draft night was rather part of a thorough plan. The teams officials met with Zhou and his team in Chicago weeks before the draft. The Rockets scouts also had been following the Chinese team during its earlier exhibition games in Europe. Morey had even called up his good friend, Yao Ming himself, to discuss in detail Zhous perspective and situation.During the draft, news first broke even before NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum made the official announcement. Morey wasted no time confirming to disbelieving Chinese fans through his Weibo (a Twitter-like Chinese social media platform) account.Welcome to Houston, Zhou Qi! Morey wrote in a post, which quickly generated nearly 6,000 responses, many grateful to him and the Rockets.However, the joy was overshadowed by talks that Zhou might not be able to play in the NBA next season because of complications. Chinas two leading sports media outlets even started a tug of war; it began with one outlet quoting a Rockets source confirming Zhou will skip next season, only to be refuted by the other outlet, saying the negotiations were still under way.It remains unknown when exactly Zhou will arrive. But an overall lackluster summer performance so far with the national team has led to some to conclude that Zhou is not ready for the NBA right now.An impressive stint with Chinas junior national teams allowed Zhou to demonstrate his prowess and huge untapped potential at an early age. He has been playing for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in the countrys top-tier league since 2014, alongside former NBA forward Andray Blatche, winning rookie of the year and leading the league in blocks.However, Zhou has not developed into the dominating force most were expecting in his two seasons thus far. His inability to defend the post against former Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns center Hamed Haddadi in last seasons Chinese league playoffs raised more doubts as to his suitability for the NBAs physicality.Still, for Zhou and his team, slipping to the 43rd pick -- a significant plunge from their expectations -- was certainly disappointing. After the draft, Zhou had several bad games with the national team, but he insisted the draft was not a factor.Zhou might never impact the NBA the way his predecessor Yao did, but they play very different games.Durant, who has fought critics and doubters of his NBA potential since he entered the league in 2007, had some wisdom to share.Nobody knows how it is once you get inside of it, Durant said of the league. Once you get inside of it, your body is used to everything. Its just a physical grind of the NBA season, you will be fine. Your confidence is going to grow when you play. 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