News updates are sent daily. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Dynamic duo dominates Tempe
Digg|
Save|
License|
Print|
E-mail|
Misty May-Treanor thinks she and Kerri Walsh are playing their best volleyball since the pair’s gold medal run in the 2004 Olympics. That’s not good news for the rest of the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour.
May-Treanor and Walsh continued their string of dominance Sunday, cruising to a 21-19, 21-8 victory over Nancy Mason and Jennifer Boss in the women’s finals of the AVP Tempe Open at Tempe Beach Park.
They have now won the Tempe Open in all four years of its existence and are 2-for-2 on the tour season.
“(Sunday) was fun. It was so fun,” Walsh said. “Winning like that means you are playing great defense and playing together as a team.”
Mason and Boss had a chance to tie the score in the first game at 20, but a kill attempt by Boss went into the net to give May-Treanor and Walsh the 21-19 win.
The second game was May-Treanor and Walsh at their best, dazzling a packed house with eye-opening digs and kills. The eight points allowed in Game 2 was the fewest ever by May-Treanor and Walsh in one of their title matches.
“I would hit the ball on the line (with May-Treanor) leaning (the opposite) way, and she’s diving and getting the dig,” Boss said.
The convincing win comes after May-Treanor and Walsh survived a three-set scare in main-draw action Saturday night. And while May-Treanor said she looks forward to playing in every match, playing in an electric atmosphere like the final gives her and Walsh that extra boost.
“It’s always fun when the crowd is rowdy, especially here in Tempe,” May-Treanor said. “The crowd is nuts, and the turnout is just amazing.”
In the men’s final, an improbable comeback in the first game propelled Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers to the tournament title over Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal.
Fourth-seeded Dalhausser and Rogers, who have only played together in two tournaments, rallied back from a 17-10 deficit in the first game to pull out a 28-26 victory. They followed that up with an easy 21-9 win for the title.
“If that happens to anybody, they’re most likely going to lose the next game,” Dalhausser said. “It’s just such a huge momentum swing.”
Second-seeded Gibb and Rosenthal were trying to open up the season with back-to-back titles after winning the Fort Lauderdale Open on April 2. The Game 1 loss snapped the pair’s 20-game win streak to begin the season.
“We had a letdown,” Gibb said.
“I think we got complacent. You try never to do that.”
Please add your comments, but follow these guidelines to keep this a safe, credible place for discussing the news: