A Sudden Spike in Interest

Elaine Youngs arrived home from an Assn. of Volleyball Professionals tournament in Cincinnati three weeks ago and lo and behold, there was no toilet paper.

The bathrooms were fully stocked, but Youngs was worried about the outside of her house. Youngs and Rachel Wacholder had defeated Misty May and Kerri Walsh in Cincinnati and afterward, May had said she and Walsh would get revenge by doing a “T.P.” job on Youngs’ house.

It was a joke, of course, but it spoke volumes about the rivalry that has developed between the teams this season. May and Walsh had been a seemingly invincible beach volleyball force over the last three years with win streaks of 89 and 50 matches.

But the Wacholder-Youngs victory in Cincinnati and a near-victory over the Olympic gold medalists the following week in Belmar, N.J., signaled the long-awaited arrival of a consistent challenger to the throne of dominance occupied by May and Walsh.

“For so long, Kerri and Misty were so unbeatable,” said Youngs, who had been 0 for 18 in her career against May and Walsh before Cincinnati. “How do you deal with that? It’s such a mental strain. It’s way more mental than it is physical, but now it isn’t. We broke that. Now they’re worrying about how to beat us.”

Cincinnati aside, May, 27, and Walsh, 26, still have the upper hand. They are the top-seeded team in the AVP Hermosa Beach Open, which begins today at the Hermosa Beach Pier; they have defeated Youngs, 35, and Wacholder, 30, in eight of nine meetings this season and needed three games to dispatch them only twice.

But the “Golden Girls” aren’t taking anything for granted. They are 1-1 in the last two meetings and had to overcome a 12-10 deficit in Game 3 to win, 15-13, in Belmar. The intensity figures to continue at Hermosa Beach.

“When you play against somebody that much, it gets tense,” Walsh said. “Especially since we lost that one time. When we played in Belmar, that’s the most passionate, the most heated the games have been. I think both teams were so emotional, so fired up and that’s how it’s going to be from here on out.”

The emergence of Youngs and Wacholder isn’t as much of a surprise as the speed with which they have risen. In their first season as partners, they advanced to the finals in the first two tournaments of the season and won their sixth event.

Youngs played with Holly McPeak for the previous three years and the two won a bronze medal at the Athens Olympics. Ultimately, however, bronze wasn’t gold and they decided to part ways.

Youngs, among the tour’s top blockers, jumped at the chance to pick up Wacholder, a budding defensive star who was looking for a top-level partner. On the surface it seemed like a perfect match and chemistry-wise it made sense, too.

Youngs is a fiery, emotional player known for on-court outbursts and yelling at referees. Wacholder embraces a more laid-back lifestyle, preferring to channel her anger inward. Each has taken a little of the other’s personality, which has helped raise their level of play, even though Wacholder said she is sometimes misread.

“I think I’ve been misunderstood for a long time because I’m nice and shy and on the quieter side when you don’t know me,” she said. “But I’m as competitive as anyone out there. I just keep it to myself.”

Or, she takes it out on the ball. Wacholder has received three yellow cards this year for kicking balls in anger. Youngs hasn’t received any.

“I think she probably leads the women’s tour in yellow cards,” Youngs said. “She’s been storming the refs lately too.”

Wacholder said playing with Youngs has fueled her emotions some, but playing in matches with trophies on the line has been a far greater influence in her rise in intensity.

“I’m competing in these matches that mean so much more,” she said. “I’ve always had my moments. I’ll get mad and scream at myself, but there’s so much more on the line now.”

Such as trying to take down May and Walsh. The rivalry is welcomed by both teams and the timing for it is perfect. Make no mistake, May and Walsh are the face of beach volleyball. Their dominance and gold-medal performance have put them on the verge of becoming household names.

But their dominance had started to become mundane. They have won dozens of games this season in which they have allowed 15 or fewer points. Some speculated that dominance like that could have eventually turned off fans looking for drama.

“For stars to emerge is a huge benefit for our tour,” AVP Commissioner Leonard Armato said. “What Misty and Kerri did was huge for our tour and the next step for growth is a rivalry. The uncertainty of who is going to win is certainly an exciting development.”

Television executives have taken note. This weekend NBC is banking that the women’s final will draw higher ratings than the men’s and has scheduled the women’s final for Sunday, a day after the men’s final. While FSN has employed that strategy most of this season, this is the first time NBC has put the women in its prime spot.

“I thought it was a good move, but I was a little shocked just based on NBC being kind of a male-dominated network,” Youngs said. “I didn’t think it would happen, but hopefully it continues. I think it’s the right move.”

The star power of May and Walsh has led to better attendance at women’s finals all season. The added drama of a rivalry could elevate the popularity of the women’s game even more.

“It’s a huge honor for us and hopefully we won’t disappoint,” Walsh said. “I have a little apprehension, but I think it’ll be great.”

The pressure is on Wacholder and Youngs to keep up their end of the bargain. Some of that falls on Liz Masakayan, a former top player who retired to coach Wacholder and Youngs.

She said she took the job because she felt Wacholder and Youngs were the only team with the potential to defeat May and Walsh. Now, after Cincinnati, she said they must do it consistently.

“A lot of our training is based on what Misty and Kerri will do,” she said. “Eventually, I think they can consistently beat them, but it will take some time. Right now, we’re just looking to get in some dog fights where the match can go either way.”

And that, Wacholder said, is what a rivalry is all about.

“I think we can win some of them, but we’re not going to win every single one,” she said. “I’d like to, but I think we can challenge them every weekend.”

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The facts

*--* * What: Hermosa Beach Open, the eighth of 14 AVP Nissan Series events. * When: Today-Sunday. * Where: Hermosa Beach Pier, north side. * Format: 32 men’s and women’s teams in double-elimination bracket competition. Top-seeded women’s teams: 1. Misty May/Kerri Walsh; 2. Rachel Wacholder/Elaine Youngs; 3. Holly McPeak/Jennifer Kessy; 4. Tyra Turner/Makare Wilson. Top-seeded men’s teams: 1. Jake Gibb/Stein Metzger; 2. Dax Holdren/Jeff Nygaard; 3. Matt Fuerbringer/Casey Jennings; 4. Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena. * 2004 men’s champions: Eric Fonoimoana and Kevin Wong. 2004 women’s champions: Youngs and McPeak. * Tickets: General admission, free. Courtside seating, $25. Beach Club, $50. * TV: Ch. 4. Saturday, 1:30 p.m. (men’s final); Sunday, 1:30 p.m. (women’s final)

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