USA is back… with a vengeance. Proving that America is still strong, despite the domestic pro tour’s bankruptcy last year, three American pairs nestled into the final four at the season-opening FIVB event in Brasilia, Brazil on Friday.
While the home country favorites Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca lead with the gold, six US women rounded-out the next three finishes.
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, two-time Olympics gold medalists, narrowly lost to the Brazilians in the championship match. America’s pop culture darlings, who competed for the first time on the international circuit since 2008, were edged by the top-seeded couple, 21-16, 15-21 and 15-12. In front of a highly partisan crowd in the thousands, the seventh-ranked May-Treanor and Walsh, who just resumed their partnership last month, nearly won their 39th FIVB tournament.
These two tandems battled each other during the seesaw contest, where the lead was exchanged several times in each set. In the end, the Brazilian’s strength, bolstered by their play in the recently ending Brazilian domestic tour, proved too much for the newly formed couple. With the score knotted at 12-12 in the final set, the favorites slammed kills to reach the top of the podium.
“We are very proud of our play in Brazil. We are frustrated but Juliana and Larissa are the top team in the world right now and that’s where we want to be again in the future. We haven’t played together for over two years, but we did well all things considered,” said Walsh in a FIVB press release.
In the consolation all-American bronze medal contest, the eighth-seeded Jennifer Kessy and April Ross were matched against the surprising 22nd seeds underdogs, Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Hanson. These duos, which were respectively upended by the Brazilian and American finalists in the semis, competed for the first time against each other in an overseas event. The reigning FIVB 2009 World Champions Kessy and Ross fought-off challenges (25-23, 21-19) from Fendrick and Hanson, who recently won an international NORCECA regional tournament in the Cayman Islands.
The fourth American couple, Nicole Branagh and Angie Akers, just rekindled their former partnership as well. On the heels of May-Treanor’s decision to return to the sport, Branagh was left empty-handed when her planned teammate Walsh reunited with May-Treanor. Beijing Olympian Branagh and Akers have only been practicing together for a few weeks, and amazingly earned a ninth-place finish.
These teams soon travel to China to compete next week on the second stop of a seven-month FIVB tour.
For continual beach volleyball coverage, throughout the entire season, bookmark my landing page!
Comments