USA's May/Walsh net fourth international title of 2002

Top-seeded Misty May and Kerri Walsh of the USA protected their claim as the No. 1 women's team on the 2002 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour by defeating two of their three top-ranked rivals on Saturday, August 3, in Klagenfurt, Austria, to claim their fourth gold medal this season.

Fellow Americans, Holly McPeak and Elaine Youngs took the bronze medal.

Playing on the edge of beautiful Lake Worther, May (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Walsh (Saratoga, Calif.) scored a 21-19 and 21-18 win in 46 minutes over two-time FIVB Beach Volleyball World Champions and Sydney 2000 Olympic Silver Medallists Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede of Brazil.

Sunday's gold match was the sixth between the two teams with May and Walsh winning the last three after the Brazilians had won two of three title meetings last season in Japan and China. May and Walsh won the first gold medal match between the two teams at the 2001 Portugal stop.

"We tried to take advantage of Shelda's injury, but she fought so hard," said Walsh after the match. Considered with the United States' Holly McPeak as the world's best women's defensive players, Bede was handicapped by a sprained injured ankle. "The Brazilians are a great team and to win a tournament of this magnitude is absolutely great," said May.

In winning the $30,000 first-place prize, May and Walsh were defeating a Brazilian team that has won more gold medals (27, including the 1999 Pan American Games) on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour than any other men's or women's team. Playing in their third finale this season and their 43rd in their career, Behar and Bede split $20,000 for the silver medal.

Seeded second this week in the second of two FIVB Grand Slam events this season, Behar and Bede are also the winningest women's team in terms of money. The Brazilians have now won $1,343,615 on the international circuit, more than double the second-place tandem of Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst of Australia ($553.430).

Cook and Pottharst, who defeated Behar and Bede for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Gold Medal on Bondi Beach, placed ninth this weekend. The Aussies, who were seeded third in the 2002 Austrian Open, had advanced to six-straight "final fours" this season with title losses to McPeak (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Youngs (Durango, Colo.) of the United States in Norway and Greece.

Competing in their eighth FIVB gold medal match and ninth overall, May and Walsh have now won six pro beach titles together. May won her 11th pro beach crown. Each of Walsh's six gold medals has been with May, who had won her first five titles with McPeak. With Sunday's two wins, May and Walsh are 41-5 this season.

With Saturday's title win, May and Walsh now lead the head-to-head series with Behar and Bede at 5-4. Walsh was playing Behar and Bede for the seventh-time in a title match as the second-season USA pro dropped a FIVB gold medal match to the Brazilians last November in that South American country with McPeak.

May and Walsh were competing in their 17th pro beach event together. The pair has 10 podium placements and 11 "final four" finishes together. May and Walsh have now earned $130,700 in earnings in seven FIVB events this season. Overall, May and Walsh have posted a 82-20 match mark in two seasons with a combined earnings of $242,450. On the FIVB Tour, May and Walsh were competing in their 15th international event with a 76-18 match mark and $233,700 in combined earnings (10th all-time on the FIVB list).

Saturday's title match also marked the 46th-time in 89 women's FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour events that Brazil and the United States competed for an international gold medal. With May and Walsh's four gold medal wins against Brazilian teams this season, the United States leads the series 24-22. Overall, Brazil has won 48 FIVB gold medals with the United States capturing 38 titles and Australia three.

May and Walsh advanced to the finals with a 23-21, 14-21 and 15-8 win over the fourth-seeded McPeak and Youngs in an all-USA semifinal. It was May and Walsh's third-straight win over a team from the United States this weekend. May and Walsh scored a 21-13 and 21-17 win over seventh-seeded Dianne DeNecochea (San Diego, Calif.) and Barbra Fontana (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and a 19-21, 22-20 and 15-9 decision over 17th-seeded Carrie Busch (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) and Leanne Schuster (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) Friday.

The semifinal defeat snapped McPeak and Youngs' 20-match FIVB winning streak. May and Walsh, who defeated their American rivals for the second-time in three meetings this season, were the last team to down McPeak and Youngs with a victory in the Canadian semifinals (July 13). McPeak and Youngs defeated May and Walsh in the French Open final.

Behar and Bede advanced to the gold medal match by outlasting 21st-seeded Chiaki Kusuhara and Ryo Tokuno of Japan 18-21, 21-19 and 17-15 in 64 minutes. The Japanese were playing in their first international semifinal together. It also marked Japan's eighth "final four" appearance in 89 FIVB "open" events. Kusuhara and Tokuno eliminated higher seeded teams from Italy, Brazil and the Netherlands to advance to Saturday's play.

In the bronze medal match, McPeak and Youngs defeated Kusuhara and Tokuno 21-17 and 21-15 in 39 minutes. In sharing $15,900 for third-place, McPeak and Youngs were beating the Japanese team for the second time this season. Kusuhara and Tokuno, who split $12,100 for fourth, had posted their previous best international finish in Hong Kong last season (fifth).

McPeak and Youngs, who captured the third, fifth and sixth international events along with four domestic titles this season enroute to $170,415 in shared earnings, have now won 57 of 60 matches this season. In addition to losing to May and Walsh twice, McPeak and Youngs only other defeat was to Cook and Pottharst in Switzerland.

The winningest pro beach player in history in terms of money, McPeak has now earned $943,087 in 201 pro beach starts. With FIVB bonus money, she is only woman to win over $1,000,000 in her career ($1,021,126). McPeak ranks second on overall wins with 63 titles. Karolyn Kirby holds the mark for women at 67.

While May and Walsh remain on the international tour for events in Asia (Japan, August 7-11) and China, August 14-18), the other American teams return to the United States for an Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) Tour event in Manhattan Beach, Calif. (August 8-11). McPeak and Youngs are entered in the China event and return to the United States for a domestic event in Chicago, Ill. (August 23-25).

For more information on FIVB beach volleyball and indoor volleyball events, go to the FIVB website.