Post by 7thWoman on Oct 15, 2004 10:02:13 GMT -5
A surprisingly thorough article for the Newspress. Looks like they will be fencing off the beach.
www.newspress.com/sports/101504avp.htm
AVP INVITATIONAL AT WEST BEACH
'Dream Team' on the sand
10/15/04
By JOHN ZANT
NEWS-PRESS SENIOR WRITER
In the beginning, Kerri Walsh was slipping and sliding in the sand, but Misty May saw enough to want to be her partner.
"I wrote it down with exclamation points and stars in my day book," Walsh said.
It was January, 2001.
May, recovered from the injury that had knocked her and Holly McPeak off the medal stand at the Sydney Olympics, was looking for a new beach volleyball teammate.
Walsh, a standout on the U.S. women's indoor team that finished fourth at Sydney, decided to give the beach game a try.
They came together at an informal workout at Huntington Beach and immediately set their sights on Athens, Greece, in 3-1/2 years.
"From day one, our goal was the Olympics," Walsh said. "I had to learn a lot, but Misty was patient."
May's patience paid off.
Starting in July of 2003, she and Walsh put together an astounding streak. They won 90 consecutive matches and 15 tournaments in a row. They finally had a setback last June, but at the Athens Olympics they returned to dominance, rolling to the gold medal without losing a set.
"They were at least as dominant as the U.S. softball team," said Karch Kiraly, NBC's beach volleyball commentator at the Olympics. "Their biggest deficit in any game was three points. It's very hard to win seven straight matches 2-0 against the world's best teams. It would be impossible on the men's side."
May and Walsh will seek to win their 11th title of the year at the AVP Santa Barbara Invitational on Saturday and Sunday at West Beach.
They are seeded No. 2 behind McPeak and Elaine Youngs, who have appeared in more tournaments and accumulated more points on the AVP tour. They were the bronze medalists at Athens, losing only to May and Walsh in the semifinals.
In the early days of their pairing, opponents attacked Walsh because of her inexperience.
But in a pre-Olympic press conference, May remarked that everybody was now serving her because "my partner's 6-3 and she smashes the ball in people's faces."
The rangy Walsh has become just as accomplished as the 5-foot-9 May, a quintessential all-around player.
"We want perfection," May said.
May had achieved it in 1998. Her hitting and setting led Long Beach State to an undefeated season and the NCAA championship.
But an untimely abdominal injury in 2000 was a major disappointment, and when she forfeited the Hermosa Beach AVP final in July because of a another twinge in her abdomen, some people feared the worst.
Then it was Walsh's turn to reward May with a show of faith.
"I got an e-mail from Misty: 'Kerri, don't worry, I'm working my butt off,' " said Walsh, who went off to Europe while May did rigorous strengthening exercises at home in Long Beach.
Walsh never considered lining up a replacement.
May announced, "I'm ready to go full force," when she arrived in Athens, and she was true to her word. In the final, she and Walsh crushed the formidable Brazilian team of Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede, 21-17, 21-11.
Besides the thrill of victory, May experienced deeper emotions during the Olympics. Before the semifinal, she scattered some ashes from her mother, Barbara, in the sand.
May's mother died of cancer in 2002.
"We're leaving some of her in Greece and we're bringing the rest to Hawaii. She loved Hawaii,'' May said.
Her life is brimming with momentous rituals this year.
On Nov. 13, May is getting married to Matt Treanor, the backup catcher for the Florida Marlins.
Her first professional beach tournament in Santa Barbara this weekend may not rate with some of those other milestones, but don't expect May and Walsh to give anything but their best.
NOTES: UCSB assistant coach Todd Rogers and Sean Scott are the top-seeded men's team. Santa Barbara's Dax Holdren, a quarterfinalist in Athens, is seeded No. 4 with a new partner, Jeff Nygaard . . . Former UCSB players Courtney Guerra and Brook Niles are seeded 13th in the women's draw . . . Competition starts Saturday at 9:30 a.m. The finals Sunday are at 2 p.m. (women) and 3:15 p.m. (men) . . . The fenced tournament complex is set up on the beach between Chapala and Bath streets.
_________________
SATURDAY'S MATCHUPS |FIRST ROUND|
MEN
Todd RogersÐSean Scott (1)
vs. Nick LucenaÐChad Turner (16)
Eric FonoimoanaÐMike Lambert (2)
vs. Aaron BossÐBrent Doble (15)
Jason RingÐGeorge Roumain (3)
vs. Jim NicholsÐMatt Olson (14)
Dax HoldrenÐJeff Nygaard (4)
vs. Scott AyakatubbyÐBrian Lewis (13)
Stein MetzgerÐKevin Wong (5)
vs. Eli FairfieldÐJohn Hyden (12)
Matt FeurbringerÐCasey Jennings (6)
vs. Julien ProsserÐMark Williams (11)
Sean RosenthalÐLarry Witt (7)
vs. Adam JewellÐRyan Mariano (10)
Dain BlantonÐPhillip Dalhausser (8)
vs. Paul BaxterÐScott Wong (9)
WOMEN
Holly McPeakÐElaine Youngs (1)
vs. Nikki AudetteÐJill Changaris (16)
Misty MayÐKerri Walsh (2)
vs. Barbara NylandÐAlicia Polzin (15)
Annett DavisÐJenny Johnson Jordan (3)
vs. Kimberly ColemanÐJulie Sprague (14)
Carrie BuschÐNancy Mason (4)
vs. Courtney GuerraÐBrook Niles (13)
Jennifer KessyÐJennifer Meredith (5)
vs. Lauren FendrickÐPaula Roca (12)
Angie AkersÐRachel Wacholder (6)
vs. Katie LindquistÐTracy Lindquist (11)
Pat KellerÐWendy Stammer (7)
vs. Tanya FuamatuÐHeidi Ilustre (10)
Tammy LeiblÐGracie Santana-Baeni (8)
vs. Heather LoweÐJenny Pavley (9)
www.newspress.com/sports/101504avp.htm
AVP INVITATIONAL AT WEST BEACH
'Dream Team' on the sand
10/15/04
By JOHN ZANT
NEWS-PRESS SENIOR WRITER
In the beginning, Kerri Walsh was slipping and sliding in the sand, but Misty May saw enough to want to be her partner.
"I wrote it down with exclamation points and stars in my day book," Walsh said.
It was January, 2001.
May, recovered from the injury that had knocked her and Holly McPeak off the medal stand at the Sydney Olympics, was looking for a new beach volleyball teammate.
Walsh, a standout on the U.S. women's indoor team that finished fourth at Sydney, decided to give the beach game a try.
They came together at an informal workout at Huntington Beach and immediately set their sights on Athens, Greece, in 3-1/2 years.
"From day one, our goal was the Olympics," Walsh said. "I had to learn a lot, but Misty was patient."
May's patience paid off.
Starting in July of 2003, she and Walsh put together an astounding streak. They won 90 consecutive matches and 15 tournaments in a row. They finally had a setback last June, but at the Athens Olympics they returned to dominance, rolling to the gold medal without losing a set.
"They were at least as dominant as the U.S. softball team," said Karch Kiraly, NBC's beach volleyball commentator at the Olympics. "Their biggest deficit in any game was three points. It's very hard to win seven straight matches 2-0 against the world's best teams. It would be impossible on the men's side."
May and Walsh will seek to win their 11th title of the year at the AVP Santa Barbara Invitational on Saturday and Sunday at West Beach.
They are seeded No. 2 behind McPeak and Elaine Youngs, who have appeared in more tournaments and accumulated more points on the AVP tour. They were the bronze medalists at Athens, losing only to May and Walsh in the semifinals.
In the early days of their pairing, opponents attacked Walsh because of her inexperience.
But in a pre-Olympic press conference, May remarked that everybody was now serving her because "my partner's 6-3 and she smashes the ball in people's faces."
The rangy Walsh has become just as accomplished as the 5-foot-9 May, a quintessential all-around player.
"We want perfection," May said.
May had achieved it in 1998. Her hitting and setting led Long Beach State to an undefeated season and the NCAA championship.
But an untimely abdominal injury in 2000 was a major disappointment, and when she forfeited the Hermosa Beach AVP final in July because of a another twinge in her abdomen, some people feared the worst.
Then it was Walsh's turn to reward May with a show of faith.
"I got an e-mail from Misty: 'Kerri, don't worry, I'm working my butt off,' " said Walsh, who went off to Europe while May did rigorous strengthening exercises at home in Long Beach.
Walsh never considered lining up a replacement.
May announced, "I'm ready to go full force," when she arrived in Athens, and she was true to her word. In the final, she and Walsh crushed the formidable Brazilian team of Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede, 21-17, 21-11.
Besides the thrill of victory, May experienced deeper emotions during the Olympics. Before the semifinal, she scattered some ashes from her mother, Barbara, in the sand.
May's mother died of cancer in 2002.
"We're leaving some of her in Greece and we're bringing the rest to Hawaii. She loved Hawaii,'' May said.
Her life is brimming with momentous rituals this year.
On Nov. 13, May is getting married to Matt Treanor, the backup catcher for the Florida Marlins.
Her first professional beach tournament in Santa Barbara this weekend may not rate with some of those other milestones, but don't expect May and Walsh to give anything but their best.
NOTES: UCSB assistant coach Todd Rogers and Sean Scott are the top-seeded men's team. Santa Barbara's Dax Holdren, a quarterfinalist in Athens, is seeded No. 4 with a new partner, Jeff Nygaard . . . Former UCSB players Courtney Guerra and Brook Niles are seeded 13th in the women's draw . . . Competition starts Saturday at 9:30 a.m. The finals Sunday are at 2 p.m. (women) and 3:15 p.m. (men) . . . The fenced tournament complex is set up on the beach between Chapala and Bath streets.
_________________
SATURDAY'S MATCHUPS |FIRST ROUND|
MEN
Todd RogersÐSean Scott (1)
vs. Nick LucenaÐChad Turner (16)
Eric FonoimoanaÐMike Lambert (2)
vs. Aaron BossÐBrent Doble (15)
Jason RingÐGeorge Roumain (3)
vs. Jim NicholsÐMatt Olson (14)
Dax HoldrenÐJeff Nygaard (4)
vs. Scott AyakatubbyÐBrian Lewis (13)
Stein MetzgerÐKevin Wong (5)
vs. Eli FairfieldÐJohn Hyden (12)
Matt FeurbringerÐCasey Jennings (6)
vs. Julien ProsserÐMark Williams (11)
Sean RosenthalÐLarry Witt (7)
vs. Adam JewellÐRyan Mariano (10)
Dain BlantonÐPhillip Dalhausser (8)
vs. Paul BaxterÐScott Wong (9)
WOMEN
Holly McPeakÐElaine Youngs (1)
vs. Nikki AudetteÐJill Changaris (16)
Misty MayÐKerri Walsh (2)
vs. Barbara NylandÐAlicia Polzin (15)
Annett DavisÐJenny Johnson Jordan (3)
vs. Kimberly ColemanÐJulie Sprague (14)
Carrie BuschÐNancy Mason (4)
vs. Courtney GuerraÐBrook Niles (13)
Jennifer KessyÐJennifer Meredith (5)
vs. Lauren FendrickÐPaula Roca (12)
Angie AkersÐRachel Wacholder (6)
vs. Katie LindquistÐTracy Lindquist (11)
Pat KellerÐWendy Stammer (7)
vs. Tanya FuamatuÐHeidi Ilustre (10)
Tammy LeiblÐGracie Santana-Baeni (8)
vs. Heather LoweÐJenny Pavley (9)
These are merely speculations though.