Olympic Times - Sports Daily

The weather, dark and damp, did its best to diffuse beach volleyball’s explosive pair.
The home crowd, patriotic and persistent, did its best to push the ultimate underdog’s through to arguably its most unexpected gold medal to add to its immense collection.
None of it was enough of a factor to keep Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor from doing what they always do: win.
The American duo successfully defended its Athens gold medal, beating China’s pair of Jie Wang and Jia Tian in straight sets, 21-18, 21-18. Walsh and May-Treanor ripped through the Olympic tournament without dropping a set, just as they did in Athens four years ago.
The two haven’t lost a match on the beach since August 2007 in Boston. Since partnering up back in 2001, they quickly established themselves as the best team on the beach, and their Beijing gold only solidifies it. And with May-Treanor at 31 years old and Walsh just turning 30 this week, it very well could be their last Olympic Games.
If this was their last Games, it ended just how they would’ve liked. Despite the conditions and a very game Chinese team, the Americans fought through near the end of each set to claim the win.
Despite Walsh’s surgically repaired right shoulder covered in black Kinesio tape, which eases pain and increases circulation in the area, the Chinese stayed away from the 6 foot-3 inch Stanford product, choosing instead to serve May-Treanor and force her to terminate as often as possible.
Down the stretch of the opening set, the plan backfired on China, as May-Treanor got on a roll. With the set tied at 17-17, May-Treanor had three consecutive kills to give the U.S. a 3-0 scoring run. After China stemmed the tide with a point of its own, May-Treanor ended the set with another kill, putting the U.S. one set away from gold.
The second set starting much like the first, with Wang and Tian taking small leads throughout much of the set. But trailing 15-14, the U.S. pair went on another 3-0 run, this one also capped by a May-Treanor kill, to lead 17-15.
With the rain driving down and the players practically playing in mud, the Chinese fought back this time, tying the game at 18-18.
That’s when May-Treanor, wife of Florida Marlins catcher Matt Treanor, ran down a deep attempt by the Chinese and followed it with a powerful kill off the block. A hitting error by the Chinese gave the Americans a match point. May-Treanor and Walsh wasted no time ending the match, this time on a Walsh kill, sending the duo into each other’s arms and onto their knees in celebration.
After finding family members to hug, they grabbed American flags, danced around the Chaoyang Park volleyball complex and celebrated yet another victory, this one resulting in a second gold medal.
As she did after the semifinal, and after the medal rounds in Athens, May-Treanor scattered some of her mother Barbara’s ashes on the court. Barbara May died in 2002 after a long battle with cancer.
Before May-Treanor and Walsh won their rain-soaked match, the Chinese pairing of Xue and Zhang Xi won the bronze medal by defeating Brazil’s Renata Ribeiro and Talita Rocha 21-19, 21-17.

from: macon.com