May-Treanor, Walsh Secure Hague Silver

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

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Aug. 28, 2011) – The U.S. women’s beach volleyball team of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh finished with a silver medal on Sunday after falling to Brazil’s Juliana Felisberta and Larissa Franca at the FIVB Swatch World Tour HP Beach Open in The Hague, Netherlands.

The top-ranked Brazilians defeated May-Treanor (Santa Monica, Calif.) and Kerri Walsh (San Jose, Calif.) in straight sets (21-21-17 21-15) in 33 minutes. It was their second gold medal in The Hague after winning in 2009.

It was the fourth time the two teams have played each other in a final this season and the third time Juliana and Larissa have won. May-Treanor and Walsh captured the gold in Moscow in July, after losing in Brasilia and at the World Championship final in Rome.

In the head-to-head results, May-Treanor and Walsh lead 12-8.

May-Treanor and Walsh took a lead in the first set, but gave it away at 17-17. Brazil scored four points in a row to win the set at 21-17.

In the second set, the Americans could hang on till 8-8 but had no answer to the consistent playing Juliana and Larissa.

“I really do not know what I am most disappointed about, giving away the lead in the first set or being blown away in the second,” Walsh said in an FIVB release. “But I am looking forward to next year, so we can work hard on playing together and finding our rhythm.”

 “We like to play Misty and Kerri, because it is always a different match and a real challenge,” Felisberta said. “Larissa really made the difference today, serving really well.”

The final women’s event of the 2011 FIVB Swatch World Tour season will be in November in Phuket, Thailand.   

For more information about the tournament, click here.

Tags: Beach, Beach Volleyball, FIVB World Tour, Kerri Walsh, Misty May-Treanor, mobile