Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor successfully defend their title in Beijing - Volleyball
The American duo of Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor came a long way to defend their title in Beijing. They had last appeared at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where they got hold of the gold-medal. The two partners remained separate in the previous two years
and recently re-unite for the current season. They performed amazingly well at the 2011 Beijing Grand Slam Women’s Beach Volleyball Tournament and pushed ahead in the rankings.
Walsh and May-Treanor fought against the German pairing of Katrin Holtwick and Ilka Semmler in the final match and scored a superb 2-1 (21-14, 24-26, and 15-9) victory. The highly anticipated final match was held on Saturday, June 11. The competition completed
its run from June 6-11 as the Chayong district of Beijing was the home of beach volleyball enthusiasts.
Kerri Walsh and May-Treanor had good energy before the start of match. Earlier in the day, they defeated compatriots Jenn Kessy and April Ross. The duo was fully prepared to take on the German rivals. The final showdown was the real test of their spike and
block capabilities. They started the match on a high note and put away early points. Germany’s Ilka Semmler attempted some wonderful cut shots, which promptly hit the sand and raised the German score. The exchange of rallies started and both sides actively
participated. Walsh and May-Treanor perfectly complimented each other and led the game with a better score. They added quick points and widened the gap as they finished the opening set with a brilliant seven-point lead.
The German duo hit back angrily in the following set. They improved on reception and spiked the ball hard. On the other side of the net, the American pair was in great form after winning the previous set. Killing spikes and deadly aces from the American
side gave a hard time to the German tandem but they continued with their efforts to block. Both teams staged a wonderful game and there was no telling who was going to win. The score shifted up with close margins. Finally, German pair got a perfect kill to
hit the equalizer as the U.S. side dropped the second set with a narrow two-point deficit.
Americans bounced back in the game in the third set and stormed the German half with unstoppable shots. May-Treanor showed her attacking power and came hard onto the opponents. Likewise, Walsh was applauded for her amazing digging and diving. They restricted
opponents to a low score and stretched the difference of points as the Germans collapsed at the hand of American team. They could only score nine points, while U.S. team achieved the set points.
Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor added a 14th Grand Slam title to their count. It was their 36th FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour championships together and they split the prize money of $43,500.
May-Treanor was in a great mood after making their way at the top of the Beijing Grand Slam. She expressed her delight about the victory and thanked the support of amazing fans. She expressed her views at the press conference, which was held right after
the match. May-Treanor said, “We are very happy to win the tournament. Everybody showing up for this tournament will show up next week (in Rome). No matter they are 32nd or 31st, everybody wants to win. I am just proud of our team, proud of how we stick together
after we lost the first match in the pool play and we were able to bounce back and just get stronger to win the tournament.”
Walsh was equally overjoyed with the sense of the amazing victory. She stated, “I work very hard and I had a lot of support. I had an amazing partner, I had an amazing husband and I want this very badly. This is my dream to be a mother and to be competing
in the sport I love. When you have a big dream, you’ll do everything to make it happen.”
They will be back soon for the upcoming FIVB events soon.
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