OLYMPICS ROUNDUP: WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL ROUTS CUBA.

Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Services

In a win-or-go-home match, the United States defeated the three-time defending Olympic gold medalist Cubans 25-22, 25-12, 25-19. The victory made the Americans 2-3 in preliminary play, and earned them a chance to test themselves in the quarterfinals against the top seed, Brazil, on Tuesday.

The difference between Sunday's overpowering, fluid performance and the two disjointed losses the U.S. suffered to start the tournament was a good talking-to by the six veterans on the U.S. softball team.

UCLA's Lisa Fernandez and company showed up at the quarters of their Olympic Village neighbors two nights ago ``with some words for us,'' two-time Olympic volleyball player Logan Tom said.

``And they were wonderful words,'' Tom added.

``We took those words and gave them our own twist and it worked out for us.''

The softball players, Tom said, compared the volleyball team's predicament (it was 1-2 at the time of the discussion) with what the softball team went through in Sydney in 2000, when it played below par and had to overcome three losses and then claw its way through extra-inning games to win its second gold medal.

``We weren't playing together,'' said Tom. ``We were playing as individuals.

``I don't know if I'm supposed to say that, but when I looked around, that's what I saw, so I'm sure that's what y'all saw, too.''

Against Cuba, which will face Italy in the quarterfinals, eight of the U.S. team's 12 players scored points.

Tom led with 15 kills and three aces.

- Mirjam Swanson

TENNIS

Somehow, somewhere, Nicolas Massu summoned the strength and the shots to win his second gold of these Olympics.

That's twice as many medals as the entire star-studded U.S. tennis team managed.

Doing everything he could to buy time and beat exhaustion, Chile's Massu got past American Mardy Fish 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in an error-strewn men's singles final that went four hours in Athens.

Chile had never won a gold medal in any sport until Massu and Fernando Gonzalez won the doubles title in a match that lasted more than 3 1/2 hours and ended in the wee hours Sunday morning.

ROWING

Jason Read wanted an American flag in the boat for the U.S. eight crew's first Olympic victory lap in 40 years, and one exuberant fan was happy to oblige.

When Read beckoned, the fan hurdled a barrier and charged into the lake, swimming out to hand off the Stars and Stripes to crew members, who took turns holding it aloft as they rowed along grandstands of cheering fans in Schinias, Greece.

``There's no greater privilege than to represent America at this time with all that's going on in the world,'' said Read, a 26-year-old volunteer fire chief from Ringoes, N.J., who worked search-and-rescue duty in the days after Sept. 11, 2001.

A crew that followed one clutch performance with another ended America's four-decade dry spell in the sport's marquee event.

``Countless numbers of Olympian rowers from '68 on have contacted us, given us money, written us notes, given moral support, come by practice,'' U.S. head coach Mike Teti said. ``We really felt we needed to end this 40 years of drought.''

The victory capped an Olympic regatta in which the U.S. women's eight won silver - the first medal for that boat in two decades.

BASKETBALL

Diana Taurasi smiled and showed the flair that made her a star at Connecticut. Katie Smith grimaced in pain and frustration while holding her right knee.

A breakout game by Taurasi that completed the first phase of the U.S. basketball team's bid for a third consecutive Olympic gold medal was tempered by the sight of Smith on crutches.

Getting 19 points from Taurasi and contributions from everyone who played, the U.S. rolled past China 100-62 in its final game of the preliminary round in Athens.

Smith, the team's best outside shooter, could only watch after re-injuring her right knee in the first quarter.