United States Beats China in Three Straight : Volleyball: Victories don’t come easily for U.S., however.

SAN DIEGO —  Scott Fortune and Doug Partie went up and shared the stuff block, and when the ball landed on the other side of the net, the United States had taken a 6-5 lead in a game they had trailed 5-0.

Fortune turned and thrust a finger into the air as the crowd of 3,002 roared its approval during the second game against China.

No. 1.

It might be too early to proclaim the U.S. national men’s volleyball team the greatest in the world, but they certainly could be No. 1 in Asia.

A week after twice sweeping Japan in consecutive games, the U.S. scored a 15-10, 15-9, 17-15 victory over the Chinese at the Sports Arena.

Although China has failed to qualify for the Olympics, they were a threat, having taken the Commonwealth of Independent States to five games last week.

However, U.S. players were low-key about their performance.

“We could never really get it going,” said Steve Timmons, who had 11 kills, six blocks and three aces. “We kept thinking of plays in the past that we should have been making and could never make enough good plays to forget about the bad plays.

“We made enough good plays to win, but we need to play better.”

The United States (3-0) fell behind in each of the first two games, trailing by as many as four points in Game 1 and five in Game 2. China (0-3) held a 15-14 lead in Game 3, but Fortune’s kill got the sideout, setting up Timmons’ block and two of Bryan Ivie’s game-high 25 kills to end it.

U.S. Coach Fred Sturm found a silver lining on his team, which is trying to meld former Olympians and new players in time to win an unprecedented third consecutive gold medal.

“I was pleased overall with our blocking defense and we served tough at the start of the match,” Sturm said. “We had good composure when we got behind; we stayed cool.”

The Americans recorded six aces in the first game, including three by Timmons. Eric Sato’s ace completed the comeback from 3-0, 5-1, 6-2 and 7-3.

China scored the first five points in Game 2 before each U.S. player took turns at contributing to the comeback.

“We had an occasional good individual effort, but the team struggled tonight,” said setter Jeff Stork, named the team’s most valuable player. “Maybe we should just give credit to China.”

He said the U.S. made some unforced errors because they were rushed and still unfamiliar with their positions within the system and on the court.

Sturm continues to tinker with the lineup in hopes of finding the combination that will eventually win a gold medal.

Ivie, a two-time NCAA player of the year from USC, played opposite hitter for the first time in 1 1/2 years, and new positions and a new setter (Stork) have made play on the court uneven, he said. Dan Greenbaum has been Ivie’s setter for the past seven years, dating to Junior Olympics. Ivie said they will get better.

In addition to Ivie’s 25 kills, Fortune had 13 and Doug Partie nine.

Timmons and Partie were middle blockers and Bob Samuelson, who was in the lineup last week, was on the bench.

“I’m not concerned with the Olympics because it’s so far away,” Stork said. “We might struggle in World League matches, but by the time the Olympics come around (July 25), we should have a set lineup and be pretty comfortable.”

Volleyball Notes

The United States women upset World Cup champion Cuba, 15-12, 15-5, 10-15, 14-16, 15-10 in the opening round of the China Tournament in Dalian, China. Caren Kemner had 35 kills.

The U.S. men play tonight at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood. . . . Setter Jeff Stork will not accompany the team to Japan for next weekend’s games. His wife, Sabine, is expecting their second child May 27. . . . Doug Partie’s wife, Cathy, is expecting their first child within two weeks.

Two players on the 12-man roster who have not suited up will make the trip to Japan, setter Javier Gaspar and middle blocker Dan Hanan. Outside hitter Carlos Briceno, who did not suit up last night, will also make the trip.