BEIJING • Hugh McCutcheon could have gone home.

Nobody would have blamed him. Nobody would have questioned him. Nobody would have muttered a word.

The U.S. men’s indoor volleyball coach grudgingly stayed at the Beijing Games in the wake of the murder of hisfather-in-law and near-fatal stabbing of his mother-in-law, and the decision is paying big dividends.

With McCutcheon on the sidelines, the No. 3 Americans have maintained their swagger in finishing pool play with five straight wins, including a 25-18, 25-12, 25-21 victory Monday over No. 11 Japan.

They’ll face No. 5 Serbia in Wednesday’s quarterfinals – the initial step in their quest for their first gold medal since the 1988 Seoul Games and their first medal since a bronze in 1992 in Barcelona.

McCutcheon, 38, missed his team’s first three wins after a Chinese man killed his father-in-law, Todd Bachman, and almost stabbed to death his mother-in-law, Barbara Bachman, at a Beijing tourist site two days after the Opening Ceremony.

He rejoined the team Saturday for a three-set win over No. 21 China, convinced to coach again by Barbara, who is recovering at a Minnesota hospital, and his wife, Elisabeth, a 2004 Olympic women’s volleyball player.

“I’m here with their consent, with their support,” McCutcheon said. “They’re my strength. And the guys have been wonderful. They’re allowing me to come back and get to business as usual. Given the magnitude of what occurred, it could be a little bit strange, but we’ve talked it out, we’re right here, we’re on the same page.”

Players unanimously embraced McCutcheon’s return despite smooth sailing under assistant Ron Larsen.

“Getting Hugh back was huge,” said Scott Touzinsky, playing with a “TB” and a “BB” inscribed on his shoes to honor the Bachmans. “To some of us, he’s like a big dad. We see him every single day at practice. All day long, he’s there with us.”

Said Riley Salmon: “It’s difficult, but life is difficult. He has done a great job making us concentrate on volleyball. We’re just concentrating on volleyball right now.”

Ryan Millar said McCutcheon seems “a little more stoic. It would be hard to be a rah-rah-rah guy when you’ve got something so deep in the back of your head, your wife is at home, your mother-in-law is having a hard time. He’s doing the best he can, and we’re going to keep fighting for him.”

McCutcheon contends his role as coach hasn’t changed.

“I’m trying to compartmentalize my time and my energy,” he said. “When I’m here, I’m absolutely here, and I’m invested on what the team is about to do. When I’m not here, I’m trying to recharge my batteries and get ready for the next volleyball event.”

Asked if a gold would ease his pain, McCutcheon said, “It doesn’t change what happened. It would be a nice achievement for the guys who have worked so hard over the last four years.”-CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0256 or brian.gomez@gazettedev.gazette.com. Check out our Olympics blog at gazetteolympics.freedomblogging.com

China’s gold-medal winner He Kexin, center, was flanked by runner-up American Nastia Lukin, left, and China’s Yang Yilin after the uneven bars individual finals Monday. Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS