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Yugoslavia Wins Volleyball Bronze

ATLANTA -- Playing without its captain, Yugoslavia returned from Olympic banishment to win its first men's volleyball medal, beating Russia in four sets for the bronze Sunday.

Kept out of the 1992 Games because of United Nations sanctions due to the civil war, Yugoslavia made a surprising run through this tournament, capped by its 15-8, 7-15, 15-8, 15-9 win Sunday.

Yugoslavia finished sixth in its only other Olympics, in 1980.

After just three matches in the preliminary round, captain Dejan Brdovic returned home after his 14-month-old son died of a brain tumor.

``We said when he was going home, `We will bring you a medal,' '' said Dula Mester. ``We kept our promise.''

Because of the U.N. sanctions, the Yugoslavs have been together only since 1995. Before that, most of their players competed professionally in other countries.

Russia was back in the medals round for the first time since 1988, when, as the Soviet Union, it lost the gold-medal match to the United States.

Italy and the Netherlands, ranked No. 1 and 2 in the world, met later Sunday for the gold medal.