Release by USA Volleyball
The United States leads Brazil 10-6 after two rounds of pool play at the AVP World Challenge: USA vs. Brazil presented by Sanderson Ford in Glendale, Ariz.
Back-to-back Olympic gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh remain undefeated in May-Treanor’s return to professional beach volleyball after an absence of more than a year, while 2008 Olympic gold medalists Phil Dalhausser (Ormond Beach, Fla.) and Todd Rogers (Santa Barbara, Calif.) are the only team on the men’s side of the competition to maintain a perfect 2-0 record.
May-Treanor and Walsh started Friday with a 21-13, 17-21, 15-8 defeat of Brazilians Vanilda Leao and Angela Vieira, then went on to take down Shaylyn Bede and Ana Paula Connelly, 21-16, 21-14.
“It’s fun being back, and the Brazilians are always tough competition,” May-Treanor said. “Kerri and I have good chemistry, but we need to tweak our game a little bit. I’d put myself at 75 percent right now.”
“It’s poignant, playing together again,” Walsh said. “It’s appropriate that we’re playing the Brazilians, we’ve spent a lot of time playing against them over the years.”
Along with May-Treanor and Walsh, 2009 FIVB World Champions Jen Kessy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) and April Ross (Costa Mesa, Calif.) retained a 2-0 record through Friday’s play. They first defeated Shaylyn and Ana Paula, 20-22, 21-14, 19-17, then Vanilda and Angela 23-21, 23-21. Also undefeated are Brazil’s Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca, who first beat out Nicole Branagh (Orinda, Calif.) and Elaine Youngs (El Toro, Calif.), 21-11, 21-15, then Annett Davis (Long Beach, Calif.) and Jenny Johnson Jordan (Sherman Oaks, Calif.), 21-16, 21-16.
On the men’s side, Dalhausser and Rogers are the only team, American or Brazilian, to maintain an undefeated 2-0 record. They first defeated Joao “Billy” Maciel and Bruno Oscar Schmidt, 21-18, 17-21, 15-10, then Alison Cerutti and Harley Marques Silva, 23-21, 21-14.
For complete results from Glendale and a full schedule of tomorrow’s action, click here.