LONDON — The U.S. women's basketball team looked nothing like the squad that is expected to dominate the Olympics.

Maybe it was first-game nerves or a hangover from the opening ceremony. The U.S. had to overcome a sloppy performance Saturday before finally putting away Croatia 81-56 in their opener.

Coach Geno Auriemma had said he was hoping that the Americans could play a style of basketball that would be entertaining and help grow the women's game internationally. That didn't happen Saturday.

"We have five players who have never been in the Olympics before so they are going to be nervous. Everybody was a little nervous," Auriemma said.

The U.S., which got back to its hotel at 3 a.m. after the opening ceremony, struggled for the first three quarters before winning its 34th consecutive Olympic contest.

"There was a little jitters, probably a little sluggishness," said U.S. guard Sue Bird, who plays for the Seattle Storm and had six points and a team-high five assists.

The victory was far different from the 54-point pounding the Americans gave Croatia a week earlier.

Despite missing its first 14 shots, Croatia hung tough for the first 30 minutes before the Americans pulled away.

The U.S., which has dominated its opponents en route to the last four gold medals, led only 53-49 early in the fourth quarter before a 16-0 run put the game out of reach.

"Bottom line is this is the Olympics," Bird said. "A win is a win, regardless of how it works. Beauty is you can learn from it."

Next up for the U.S. is Angola, which lost to Turkey 72-50 in its Olympic debut.

U.S. women's

volleyball wins 3-1

Destinee Hooker had 21 points and the United States held off late-charging South Korea 3-1 in their opening match at the London Olympics.

The fans at Earls Court chanted "Des-tin-ee! Des-tin-ee!" at one point as she dominated the 25-19, 25-17, 20-25, 25-21 victory.

The United States, which won the silver medal in Beijing and is ranked No. 1 in the world, jumped to a 17-11 lead in the first set after one of Hooker's seemingly effortless spikes, helping set the tone for the match.

"We're thrilled. We got the win," U.S. captain Lindsey Berg said. "One down."

Former University of Washington setter Courtney Thompson entered in the fourth game and helped lead a decisive 8-3 run. Another ex-Husky, Tama Miyashiro, delivered two key serves in the final game.