After falling short in its bid for a medal four years ago Italy succeeded in grabbing third place in the men's volleyball tournament taking home the bronze medal in a 3-1 victory over Bulgaria.

Italy stuttered through the group phase before coming together in the quarterfinals to eliminate defending champion the United States.

They were no match for Brazil in the semifinal, but clinched third place. Italy prevailed 25-19, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21.

Italy earned a match point when Michal Lasko of Bulgaria served into the net, and Emanuele Birarelli converted it with a smash. Italy has won five Olympic medals, but gold still remains elusive. Brazil and Russia meet in Sunday's final.

"Since the start of the Olympics we've had some trouble with our play, so it's a dream come true to win a medal," said Italy wing spiker Ivan Zaytsev, who scored four points. "We're very happy because we looked to close this tournament with a big win. For a lot of us it's the first medal at the Olympics, so we're happy about that."

Bulgaria's impressive run fell short of a first men's volleyball medal since winning silver in 1980. It reached the semifinals despite turmoil before the start of the London Games, when the coach and several players quit the team.