Tag: Misty May-Treanor (Page 3 of 3)

May/Walsh survive a tough first set to beat Belgium

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh were tested in the first set of their first elimination match against Belgium, but they fought off five set points to come back and win, 24-22. Liesbeth Mouha stands 6’4″ and her height (and girth) gave Walsh trouble at the net. That, coupled with Liesbet van Breedam’s cut shots gave the Belgians the first set lead.

But the Americans – specifically, May-Treanor – were outstanding down the stretch of that first set. At one point, May-Treanor had four straight digs and several nice kills to turn the tide of the match.

The U.S. dominated the second set, 21-10, to win their 105th straight match. More importantly, they advance to the round of eight and are one step closer to defending their 2004 gold medal.

May-Treanor/Walsh blow by Norway

104 and counting.

That’s how many matches Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh have won in a row. Their latest victims were Norway’s Nila Haakedal and Ingrid Toerlen, who looked pretty good in their bikinis, but were otherwise no match for May and Walsh. The U.S. team won their final preliminary round match, 21-12 and 21-15, and now move on to the 16-team single-elimination tournament.

Presumably, their first round match will be a part of NBC’s Friday night primetime coverage. Ratings, ratings, ratings…

May-Treanor/Walsh dispatch Cuba

America’s beach volleyball sweethearts, Misty May-Treanor (right) and Kerri Walsh, took care of business in their second match of the Games, defeating Cuba in two games, 21-15 and 21-16. It was a business-like, efficient win for the seemingly unbeatable pair, who have now won 103 straight matches.

The match was never in doubt, and that was reflected in the announcing. We found out how both May and Walsh met their respective husbands. (It turns out Walsh actually met her husband at the scrimmage where she played with May for the first time. Talk about kismet!) We learned about how Walsh lost her wedding band during the duo’s first match in Bejing and how it was found by a volunteer who was sifting through the sand after the night’s matches were complete. And we found out that both May and Walsh want to start families after this tournament and how these Olympics might be their last.

The loss came on the same day (in the U.S., anyway) that the Cuban women’s indoor volleyball team crushed Team USA. I wonder if there is any kind of rivalry between indoor and beach given how much attention the latter is getting these days.

For May-Treanor/Walsh, next up is Norway, and that match will be televised in primetime Wednesday night. Then the duo will move on to a single-elimination tournament.

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