Walsh, Branagh Finish Season with Gold in Phuket

B.J. Hoeptner Evans
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: (719) 228-6800
E-Mail: bj.evans@usav.org

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 7, 2010) – The U.S. beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh won her 39th career SWATCH FIVB World Tour gold medal as she and partner Nicole Branagh won the US$190,000 Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT on Sunday in Thailand.

The fourth-seeded Walsh (San Jose, Calif.) and Branagh (Orinda, Calif.), who fought their way through the consolation bracket after a second-round loss, finished the 2010 international season by defeating 16th-seeded Marta Menegatti and Valeria Rosso of Italy, 21-23, 21-14, 15-11 in 1 hour, 3 minutes.

Walsh’s 39th FIVB title give her sole possession of the all-time lead in wins, having been tied with long-time partner Misty May-Treanor (Santa Monica, Calif.) with 38 since the end of the 2008 season, the last time Walsh competed internationally before last week.

This week, Walsh partnered with Branagh for the third time ever, and two of their events have produced wins, having also won in Dubai in 2008. She missed the entire 2009 season and all but two events this year due to giving birth to boys in May 2009 and 2010.

“It feels like a new world to me because all that I have accomplished is so far behind me,” Walsh said. “This win is so special to me; it’s my first win as a mother of two. I would feel better about it if I had played better in the last match. I’m bummed I let the nerves get to me. I’ve played some big matches in big settings, but today I was nervous."

The U.S. team became just the fourth women’s team win a SWATCH FIVB World Tour gold medal after winning five elimination matches. They lost in the second round to Elsa Baquerizo and Liliana Fernandez Steiner of Spain, but then swept six-straight opponents before the title match.

In the gold medal tiebreaker set, Walsh and Branagh led just 5-4 when they went on a 6-2 run to gain control at 11-6.

Menegatti and Rosso were the first Italian team to ever compete in an FIVB gold medal match. An Italian duo has advanced to the semifinals five times and just once before had Italy won a medal (a bronze in 2001). The 16th-seeded duo became partners during the week preceding last week’s tournament in Sanya, China, due to an injury to Menegatti’s regular partner, Greta Cicolari.

Menegatti plans on competing next year with Cicolari, while Rosso will reunite with her usual partner Elisa Cella. Menegatti, who is 20 years old, and Rosso lost their first round match of the tournament and were nearly eliminated in their next match, the first of six contender’s bracket matches they had to win in order to reach the semifinals. No team in the 19-year history of SWATCH FIVB World Tour volleyball has any team rebounded from a first-round loss to win the event.

“We really came here to win gold, it was not enough to just be here,” Rosso said. “We made it this far due to our service game, but today we weren’t serving very well. I feel like we both grew up a lot here.”

The Brazilian Salgado sisters defeated the top-seeded team in Phuket and suffered just one loss in the tournament, but the semifinal defeat at the hands of the Italians prevented them from playing for the gold medal. Instead, the eighth-seeded team finished the season just as they had begun it – with a bronze medal. The Salgados defeated Sanne Keizer and Marleen Van Iersel of the Netherlands 21-17, 21-14 to win their third bronze of the year and ninth career medal.

“I would have liked it to end a little better, but it’s nice to get a bronze,” said Maria Clara.  “It’s a big step for us to finish the way we did the last two events (placed fourth in Sanya).  We were tired, we have domestic events every other week in Brazil and we have to go right back for the next one.  The high finish means we shouldn’t have to play in the country quota next season.

The 2010 Phuket Thailand Open was the 15th and final stop for women on the 2010 SWATCH FIVB World Tour. The men’s 14-event calendar concluded at the end of August where teams from the United States dominated the men’s international Beach Volleyball competition by winning 10 events, including nine gold medal finishes for circuit champions Phil Dalhausser (Ormond Beach, Fla.) and Todd Rogers (Santa Barbara, Calif.). The 2010 SWATCH FIVB World Tour calendar featured 17 sites in 14 different countries with $6.83-million in prize money.

For the FIVB’s tournament page for Phuket, click here.

Tags: Beach, Beach Volleyball, FIVB World Tour, Kerri Walsh, Nicole Branagh, Phil Dalhausser, Todd Rogers