US Kessy-Ross earn Olympic qualification – Volleyball news
With a terrific performance at the 2012 Beijing Grand Slam, the US pairing of Jennifer Kessy and April Ross earned an Olympic berth.
Kessy-Ross became the second duo from America to qualify for the 2012 London Olympic Games. They joined the Olympic gold-medallists Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor, who secured two gold-medals in the previous editions of the Summer Olympic. However, Kessy
and Ross will be playing at the Olympics for the first time.
Most recently, the duo made its presence felt at the Beijing Grand Slam. They displayed an incredible show of beach volleyball and finished in the fifth slot. According to the set formula of International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), two women’s and two
men’s teams can qualify for the Olympic Games. In order to do, the aspiring two-person beach volleyball teams are required to compile ranking points on the international pro tour. The American female tandem achieved the required ranking points at the 2012
Beijing Grand Slam and secured the Olympic spot.
Kessy-Ross opened the Beijing Grand Slam in the Main Draw and made a great start by winning their first match. They were challenged by an Italian pair and easily managed to overcome the opponents. Nonetheless, the US pair could not carry the momentum in
the next two fixtures and suffered back-to-back losses.
In the second match of the tournament, they received defeat from German team and dropped the third match to Australian tandem.
Kessy-Ross managed to find a place in top-16 of the Beijing Grand Slam and took on the compatriot duo of Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor. They exhibited a winning performance and breezed past the top American tandem. Victory enabled Kessy and Ross to advance
to the quarter-finals.
In the quarter-final match, 6th-seeded Keizer-Van Iersel came into contest with 5th-seeded Ross and Kessy. It proved to be the last match of the tournament for US pair and Germans sent them back home. Kessy-Ross lost in the three-set match but still returned
victorious as they had secured the Olympic spot.
This was how, Kessy-Ross clawed their way to the Olympic for the first time. Now they are all focused to get in shape for the next big encounter in London.
The duo recently attended the U.S. Olympic Committee media summit, where Kessy shared her views. She said, “It was always a dream. I thought I'd have the chance in 2008 and just missed it, and I thought, `Maybe that was my chance.' And then this opportunity
came along, and we worked hard for it, and it's definitely been a dream for too long.”
She further added, “I always watched the Olympics. I always found it super entertaining. But I never thought I would get there. It was a dream, but an unattainable dream. Everybody wants to go to the Olympics.”
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