sson sat out Game 3 after suffering an undisclosed injury in practice on Tuesday. H | Forum

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Matt Andersons older sister realized he really must be struggling in order to call home with news for his family that he needed an extended break from volleyball. Jusuf Nurkic Jersey .Joelle Vanegas remembers it well nearly two years later, and also recalls her reaction once the worries for her brother had eased and she knew he would be fine.Vanegas threw out a little tough love.Youre the best player in the world, Matt. Suck it up, and get back out there and play, she told him.Eventually, he would find his way back, and Anderson will lead the Americans into their Olympic opener Sunday night against Canada.But he first took that much-needed mental break from the grind of his sport, the one that has taken Anderson around the globe and landed him largely isolated in Russia for eight months of the year playing professionally.The star outside hitter hesitates to use the word depression, yet knows he experienced some symptoms. In late 2014, he was in a deep funk and made that daunting decision to step away from volleyball and rediscover a balance in his life.I think I was experiencing some depression-like moments in my life. You get down on yourself when youre trying to be the best and be perfect. When youre like that for a while, you dont get that success, even if its a small simple thing, it can bring you down, Anderson said. I wasnt able to let it go when I left the gym, so it was bringing me down the whole day, not just in the moment. So I had to address it.He lost his father, Michael, in 2010 after a kidney cancer diagnosis and a heart attack. Two years ago this month, cousin Keri Ferraro Reisch was killed in a car crash.Each time, still in shock and grieving, Anderson quickly returned to his volleyball work with little time to be comforted by those closest to him.So, when he called home to West Seneca, New York, that day, his sister understood. She has watched his love for nephew Tristin, who has autism. Anderson has a tattoo with the boys name and a puzzle piece on his inner right forearm to support him.It was that a lot of things had happened to our family, Vanegas said. When my dad passed away, he had to be back in Korea right after the funeral. When my cousin passed away, he had to be back in Russia. He missed births of his nieces and nephews. He felt he was pulled away from all he was.Stepping away even for a couple of months is rare for elite athletes. Yet everyone in Andersons inner circle knew he just needed time, and they were quick to offer support.Those who know him well believe the 29-year-old Anderson is all the better now for having taken that break.I went home, I went back to the place where people know me as me and not the athlete, my family, friends that like hanging out with me not because I bring this aura of celebrity around with me, he said.U.S. coach John Speraw had been on the job about a year and a half when Anderson came to him.Nobody does that, so when a player comes to you and says, `I need this, you know this is not a cursory thought, hes given it a bit of consideration, Speraw said. I knew what place he was in and what he needed, and I was 100 percent supportive -- `Take a breath. How long do you want to breathe? -- For me it was indefinite.Speraw figures many volleyball players face similar situations.The sport has no U.S. professional league, so many American men and women competing in Rio have only recently returned to the U.S. base in Southern California from abroad to prepare for the Olympics.Reid Priddy, beginning his fourth Olympics at age 38, spoke with Anderson throughout the process two years ago. Priddy, who is married and a father of two, was in Italy earlier this year finding his rhythm as he worked back from reconstructive knee surgery.Priddy also has taken time off -- perhaps just not in such a public way as Anderson.This is a hard life. I had this desire personally to be connected to community, to start a family, and when youre buzzing all over the world, its just not a reality, Priddy said.Sometimes you just need to dress yourself in the morning, literally wear clothes that you want to wear. Youre not putting on team clothes, you just need some autonomy, he said.Anderson has flourished, thanks to family, friends and the U.S. team.You always have to try to be better than yourself, not try to be better than anybody else, his sister said. That is how Matt continues to grow. Brandon Roy Jersey . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. Brandon Roy Blazers Jersey . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Damian-Lillard-Blazers-Jersey/ . Michell Burger, a woman who lives on an estate next to Pistorius gated community, said she and her husband were awoken by the screams in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14 last year, when Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through a door in his bathroom.(Sports Network) - The surprising Detroit Red Wings will try to extend their lead in the Western Conference semifinals when they host the top-seeded Chicago Blackhawks in Thursdays Game 4 at Joe Louis Arena. The seventh-seeded Red Wings lost Game 1 of this series by a 4-1 score before taking the next two meetings by a combined margin of 7-2. Jimmy Howard was stellar in Mondays Game 3 triumph, stopping 39 shots to help Detroit record a 3-1 win in the Motor City. Chicago hopes to even this best-of-seven series on Thursday, but the Presidents Trophy winners are just 2-3 as the road team in the playoffs. Detroit, meanwhile, is 3-1 at Joe Louis Arena during this postseason. Pavel Datsyuk, Gustav Nyquist and Drew Miller all scored goals for the Red Wings on Monday. Howard made 15 saves during a scoreless first period and also turned aside 16-of-17 shots in the third. "Our hard work has been paying off," said Howard. "Guys have been taking the body and blocking shots. Were playing with a lot of heart right now and we have to keep it going." Patrick Kane had the lone goal while Corey Crawford gave up all three goals on 30 shots for the Blackhawks "Theyre playing really well right now and have a lot of things going their way," said Kane. "We just have to re-group because I thought we played very well tonight. Its going to be a good series." The Blackhawks went 0-ffor-4 on the power play and are just 1-for-9 on the man advantage in this series. C.J. McCollum Jersey. However, Chicago still hasnt allowed a power-play goal in this postseason, killing off all 29 of the oppositions chances with the man advantage. Chicago thought it had tied the game at 2-2 early in the third period only to see the goal waved off due to a controversial goaltender interference call. Just over a minute after Chicago cut the deficit to 2-1 on Kanes goal, they had another score disallowed. Viktor Stalberg fired a shot on net from the right side that went in, but Andrew Shaw was ruled to have interfered with Howard. Several replays, however, failed to show Shaw making contact with the goaltender. "Disagree," said Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville when asked what he thought of the call. Shortly after the controversial call Detroit got its two-goal lead back at 6:46 as Datsyuk roofed a wrister over Crawford. On the injury front, Detroit forward Mikael Samuelsson sat out Game 3 after suffering an undisclosed injury in practice on Tuesday. He is questionable for Thursdays contest. These Central Division and Original Six foes also have met 15 times in the playoffs and Chicago has taken eight of those series. However, Detroit has claimed the last two postseason encounters, including a five-game series win when the franchises last met in the playoffs in the 2009 Western Conference finals. ' ' '