Post by bigfan on Jul 24, 2010 14:25:35 GMT -5
www.presstelegram.com/sports/ci_15590880
Nicole Branagh, left, and partner Misty May-Treanor defeat Jennifer Fopma and Keao Burdine last Saturday at the AVP Hermosa Beach Open. (Sean Hiller Staff Photographer)
Adjustment Phase
BEACH VOLLEYBALL: The team of May-Treanor and Branagh are still getting accustomed to one another.
By Bob Keisser Staff Writer
As legendary as some athletes are, it's still hard for some to just roll out of bed each day and humble opponents, not even one who was part of a landmark 106-match winning streak.
Misty May-Treanor, the Long Beach State volleyball All-American and two-time Olympic gold medalist, has spent the wake of her 2008 win in Beijing dealing with a major injury and getting back on the beach with a new partner, Nicole Branagh.
Success has been there, just not at the level fans and May-Treanor have come to expect. She and Branagh won the first AVP event of the season but have yet to win another, placing second twice, third twice and fifth in Hermosa Beach last weekend.
They have played six FIVB events overseas, with a third place in Norway their best placing. So they arrive here for the Nivea Long Beach Open at Marina Green starting today a little hungry for a win.
"It's been an adjustment," May-Treanor said last week in Hermosa. "I sat out a while year and didn't even touch a volleyball. I didn't even watch volleyball."
May-Treanor started 2009 preparing for a different contest: ABC's "Dancing With The Stars." She suffered a torn Achilles tendon during training that shut down her dance career as well as any plans to play volleyball. She made two cameo appearances in 2009, a late season AVP event and an exhibition against Shaquille O'Neal.
With fellow legend Kerri Walsh sitting out the first half of 2010 expecting a second child, May-Treanor linked up with Branagh, the veteran who had been a longtime teammate with Elaine Youngs.
There's always a breaking-in period with a new partner. This season, continuity has been a boon to longtime pairs Jen Kessy/April Ross and Annett Davis/Jenny Johnson Jordan. Kessy and Ross have won four straight AVP titles but are playing this weekend in an FIVB event in France.
"Chemistry doesn't happen overnight," May-Treanor said. "We're growing. We're learning about each other as we go, and I think we're doing extremely well for a new team."
May-Treanor and Walsh swept to wins here in 2007 and 2008. This time, Youngs and Rachel Wacholder Scott are the No. 1 seed; Davis, the former St. Anthony High standout, and Jordan are seeded third, and Angie Akers/Tyra Turner fourth. Dianne DeNecochea and former 49 er Brittany Hochevar (fifth) have also become podium contenders.
Meanwhile, the men's side is once again expected to anoint Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, who have won four events this season and 42 of their last 68 AVP tournaments. They are on a 29-0 match run. They're not unbeatable - Sean Rosenthal and Jake Gibb upset them here in 2008 - but they certainly are odds-on favorites.
Their win in Hermosa last weekend moved them into third place all-time for the most victories by a men's team (54), passing AVP Commissioner Mike Dodd and Tim Hovland (53). It also was their fifth straight win at Hermosa, tying the sport's record for consecutive wins at a tourney, set by Mike O'Bright and Mike O'Hara at Manhattan Beach (1960-64).
The only two teams ahead of them in wins are Karch Kiraly/Kent Steffes (75) and Sinjin Smith/Randy Stoklos (114).
"It feels pretty good, I'm not going to lie," Dalhausser said. "It's pretty cool to be in that group of guys."
"They're a great team," Dodd said. "We couldn't be passed by two better guys, better volleyball players, or better champions."
Former Long Beach State star Matt Prosser and John Mayer reached the final last week, and it appears any of the top men's teams are capable of a run to the title match and a shot at Dalhausser-Rogers. Gibb-Rosenthal are seeded fourth, the fast rising team of Matt Fuerbringer and Nick Lucena third, and John Hyden/Sean Scott second
bob.keisser@presstelegram.com
Nicole Branagh, left, and partner Misty May-Treanor defeat Jennifer Fopma and Keao Burdine last Saturday at the AVP Hermosa Beach Open. (Sean Hiller Staff Photographer)Adjustment Phase
BEACH VOLLEYBALL: The team of May-Treanor and Branagh are still getting accustomed to one another.
By Bob Keisser Staff Writer
As legendary as some athletes are, it's still hard for some to just roll out of bed each day and humble opponents, not even one who was part of a landmark 106-match winning streak.
Misty May-Treanor, the Long Beach State volleyball All-American and two-time Olympic gold medalist, has spent the wake of her 2008 win in Beijing dealing with a major injury and getting back on the beach with a new partner, Nicole Branagh.
Success has been there, just not at the level fans and May-Treanor have come to expect. She and Branagh won the first AVP event of the season but have yet to win another, placing second twice, third twice and fifth in Hermosa Beach last weekend.
They have played six FIVB events overseas, with a third place in Norway their best placing. So they arrive here for the Nivea Long Beach Open at Marina Green starting today a little hungry for a win.
"It's been an adjustment," May-Treanor said last week in Hermosa. "I sat out a while year and didn't even touch a volleyball. I didn't even watch volleyball."
May-Treanor started 2009 preparing for a different contest: ABC's "Dancing With The Stars." She suffered a torn Achilles tendon during training that shut down her dance career as well as any plans to play volleyball. She made two cameo appearances in 2009, a late season AVP event and an exhibition against Shaquille O'Neal.
With fellow legend Kerri Walsh sitting out the first half of 2010 expecting a second child, May-Treanor linked up with Branagh, the veteran who had been a longtime teammate with Elaine Youngs.
There's always a breaking-in period with a new partner. This season, continuity has been a boon to longtime pairs Jen Kessy/April Ross and Annett Davis/Jenny Johnson Jordan. Kessy and Ross have won four straight AVP titles but are playing this weekend in an FIVB event in France.
"Chemistry doesn't happen overnight," May-Treanor said. "We're growing. We're learning about each other as we go, and I think we're doing extremely well for a new team."
May-Treanor and Walsh swept to wins here in 2007 and 2008. This time, Youngs and Rachel Wacholder Scott are the No. 1 seed; Davis, the former St. Anthony High standout, and Jordan are seeded third, and Angie Akers/Tyra Turner fourth. Dianne DeNecochea and former 49 er Brittany Hochevar (fifth) have also become podium contenders.
Meanwhile, the men's side is once again expected to anoint Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, who have won four events this season and 42 of their last 68 AVP tournaments. They are on a 29-0 match run. They're not unbeatable - Sean Rosenthal and Jake Gibb upset them here in 2008 - but they certainly are odds-on favorites.
Their win in Hermosa last weekend moved them into third place all-time for the most victories by a men's team (54), passing AVP Commissioner Mike Dodd and Tim Hovland (53). It also was their fifth straight win at Hermosa, tying the sport's record for consecutive wins at a tourney, set by Mike O'Bright and Mike O'Hara at Manhattan Beach (1960-64).
The only two teams ahead of them in wins are Karch Kiraly/Kent Steffes (75) and Sinjin Smith/Randy Stoklos (114).
"It feels pretty good, I'm not going to lie," Dalhausser said. "It's pretty cool to be in that group of guys."
"They're a great team," Dodd said. "We couldn't be passed by two better guys, better volleyball players, or better champions."
Former Long Beach State star Matt Prosser and John Mayer reached the final last week, and it appears any of the top men's teams are capable of a run to the title match and a shot at Dalhausser-Rogers. Gibb-Rosenthal are seeded fourth, the fast rising team of Matt Fuerbringer and Nick Lucena third, and John Hyden/Sean Scott second
bob.keisser@presstelegram.com
