Iranian people are nice and hospitable: US coach

The US volleyball coach John Speraw has lauded the Iranian people and said that the people have treated them so kindly.

“Two nights ago, I thought that the environment and play in this gym with these fans affected the way we played the game. Tonight [Sunday], Iran affected the way we played. We got beat by a better volleyball team by significant margin,” Speraw said in the post-match news conference.

“They outplayed us in every facet of the game: block, defense, passing, serving, and offense. So there is only one thing we can do, and that is to learn from this volleyball match to hope that we can improve.”

“We are a team and have some physical gifts, some big players who can jump high and beat the ball, but we have to play the entire game much better if we hope to be as a team as well-coached and skilled as Iran,” he added.

Regarding Iran and his message to Americans, Speraw said, “My first impression was that everyone here has been incredibly hospitable. Everyone has been very nice. They have gone out of their way to make sure that we had really nice experience here. I think we have enjoyed it tremendously. Iranian people are wonderful people and have treated us kindly.”

“We had the opportunity to get out into the city one day. We went to the [Milad Tower] and learned a little more about Tehran. I think that is good for us. We went to a nice lunch on the hills….”

“Yes, Iran’s a great place, so the message we would bring back is this: it was a great trip and we look forward to coming here again. And I think we have much better understanding of what the environment is both inside the arena and outside,” Speraw concluded.