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June 3, 2007

Misty, Kerri storm through Gulf
Top team wins sixth straight title in impressive fashion
By Walter Villa / Special to AVP.com

TAMPA, Fla. — Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh made sure they didn't go
0-for-Florida.

After failing to win the season opener in Miami, the top-seeded team of
May-Treanor and Walsh has now won six straight titles. Their latest victims
were third-seeded Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh, who lost 21-19, 21-15,
in the AVP Esurance Tampa Open outside the St. Pete Times Forum on Sunday.

Winning in the second and final Florida stop of the year was a relief for
May-Treanor, who lives in Coral Springs, Fla., with her husband, Florida
Marlins catcher Matt Treanor.

In fact, the subject of the Marlins came up during Sunday's final.

"Don't hate me for saying this," May-Treanor said when addressing the crowd
after the match, "but I heard a guy yell 'Marlins suck!' Excuse me, but the
Marlins swept Tampa Bay when they were here this year."

That needle got a mixed reaction from the crowd, although most fans seemed
to take it in stride. But that's May-Treanor, fiercely loyal and a
competitor to the end.

Just ask Youngs and Branagh, who were up 13-8 in the first set. A Branagh
blast bounced off May-Treanor and hit Walsh in the head, taking her cap off.

"I was mad at myself right there," Walsh said. "I should have had my hands
up."

That turned out to be a turning point, however, as May-Treanor and Walsh
battled back to tie the score at 15-15. The set was tied for a 10th time at
19-19, when May-Treanor hit a winner for game point. A Branagh blast sailed
long to give the top seeds the first set.

The second set wasn't quite as competitive as May-Treanor and Walsh proved
relentless. At 9-7, Walsh ran the length of the court to retrieve a ball
deflected high in the air. Her team lost the point, but it showed how far —
literally — Walsh and her partner would go to win.

The end came when Walsh blocked a Youngs block right back at her. It was
Walsh's 72nd career title, which tied her for second place all-time with
Holly McPeak. It was May-Treanor's 75th championship, extending her record.

"I'm proud," Walsh said. "I'm up there with the two top ladies in the world.
I have so much respect for Holly McPeak. She set the standard so high. It's
an honor to be tied with her right now."

May-Treanor said winning never gets boring.

"Sometimes it's not as easy," she said. "But it never gets old because,
Kerri and I have a goal in mind: we want to win on the AVP Tour and we want
to win another Olympic Gold Medal [in 2008]."

Walsh said she didn't feel as if she and her partner played their best
volleyball this weekend. Plus, they had to endure the rain and wind from
Tropical Storm Barry on Saturday and the intense heat on Sunday.

But even in those tough conditions, May-Treanor and Walsh improved to 35-2
this season. In their 35 wins, they have been pushed to a third set only
four times.

One of those three-set thrillers came in Sunday's semifinals, when they
outlasted eighth-seeded Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan, 21-18, 25-27,
15-9.

It was a classic match, especially in the second set. Davis and Johnson
Jordan raced to a 15-9 lead. Walsh and May-Treanor stormed back and had the
match seemingly tucked away when a call went their way to make it 20-18.

A shot by Johnson Jordan had either hit the back line or missed by an inch.
Johnson Jordan and Davis pleaded their case briefly and relatively quietly
before accepting the decision and returning to their spots on the court.

At that point, it was likely that most everyone in the packed stadium court
felt that the match was over. But Davis hit a pair of winners to bring her
team back.

Walsh and May-Treanor blew four match points in the second set. Davis and
Johnson Jordan, meanwhile, blew three set points before finally winning on a
Walsh blast that went wide right.

"Too many unforced errors," Walsh said. "But they always give us a tough
battle. We beat them twice in this tournament, which is very hard to do."

In the other semifinal, Youngs and Branagh beat fourth-seeded Dianne
DeNecochea and Barbra Fontana, 21-14, 21-12.

Despite the loss in the final, Branagh said she leaves Tampa with a good
feeling.

"Misty is a great defender, and Kerri is a great blocker," Branagh said.
"But we feel that every time we play them, we get better. We're a fairly new
team. We'll get them soon."

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