WOMEN’S BEACH VOLLEYBALL
LONDON OLYMPICS PREVIEW
and Brazilian nemesis’ Juliana Felisberta Silva-Larissa Franca. The run would have signaled the gear that many suspected May- Treanor and Walsh have yet to rev up, but then they stumbled in the gold medal match to China’s Chen Xue-Xi Zhang by 21-14, 21-14 scores. Walsh was stoic in her press conference after- wards. “We did not attack them enough,” she said. “I know we can play a lot better and that, on the other hand, makes me happy.”
Certainly a positive long-term outcome and big-picture focus has been the overriding theme to the May-Treanor/Walsh union. The screen will loom large in London. May-Treanor has said she will retire after the fi nal point drops in London, and there is no indication that she will be coaxed off the sidelines again. Kessy, 34, and Ross, 29, will be making their fi rst Olympic appearance, but they have the 2009 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship on their resume. The media exposure gap and sponsorship between May-Treanor and Walsh and Ross-Kessy is much wider than their respective level of performance.
Kessy and Ross, both products of the University of Southern California, are 1-1 against the defending gold medalists in 2012 – the recent loss in Moscow evened the slate after Kessy and Ross had a big win against May-Treanor and Walsh in Shanghai. They are still battling a 5-25 lifetime record against the sport’s most successful team. Kessy took the lone victory over May-Tre- anor and Walsh this year in stride. “I think a lot of other people thought it was more signifi cant than we did,” she said. “We played them pretty tough last year, and to be honest, I think we gave away a lot of those games toward the end. One match they beat us badly, and they played amazing, but the others, I thought we had it and they played well at the end of the game and we didn’t. I thought in the World Championships last year we played better.”
Part of being a top U.S. beach volleyball player is answering questions about why May-Treanor and Walsh haven’t been more dominant this season. “It’s not just Misty or
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it’s not just Kerri,” Kessy said. “It’s the other teams are getting really good. I haven’t watched them enough to know what’s going on. They’re not peaking right now, but right now is not when they’re supposed to be peaking.” Kessy no doubt hopes to be an- swering questions about her own game in London. Both she and Ross have the serving fi repower and overall game to step up to any level of the medal podium. “We are going there to represent the U.S. and enjoy the Olympic experience,” she said. “We under- stand it can be overwhelming, but we’re planning on bringing our A game.”
Even a great performance by Kessy and Ross won’t impact the attention May-Treanor and Walsh will be attracting. It’s the way the Olympics work.
“The Golden Girls are beach volleyball to the world,” said Mike Dodd, who has been involved at the highest level of the sport as a player and coach. “I think what Kerri and Misty are attempting will end up being very special. Don’t ever count them out.”
DOUBLE THREAT: April Ross and Jen Kessy, top, have FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship pedigree after winning one of the sport’s biggest events in 2009. Kerri Walsh, hitting above, will bring two Olympic gold medals to London along with her legendary partner Misty May-Treanor. (Photos: FIVB)
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