Pair Rekindles Winning Ways

This year’s version of Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor seems a little like the 2003 version, only better.

This time they seem better, quicker and more focused than they did then. Motivated by a substandard 2005 season, they have each added new weapons to their games. After a 21-16, 21-12 rout over Elaine Youngs and Rachael Wacholder in the final of the Huntington Beach Open on Sunday, they have reestablished themselves as a team that’s playing in a different league from the rest of the tour.

That hasn’t been the case the last two seasons, when they showed occasional glimpses of vulnerability. However, their start to this season, four victories in four tournaments and a streak of 33 consecutive match victories, has rekindled memories of the 2003 team that won all eight events it entered and extended that to 12 consecutive tournaments in 2004.

“This tour is very, very competitive and I think that’s why we’ve improved because we can feel everyone on our heels,” Walsh said.

“We can fine tune, we can improve everything: passing, setting, side out, everything.”

Sunday’s victory was worth $25,000 to each player, and that pushed May-Treanor’s career earnings to $1,004,808. She became the fourth woman to pass the $1-million mark, and she did it in 99 tournaments, faster than anyone, regardless of gender.

“It’s a great milestone,” said May-Treanor, who is fourth on the career money list.

“It’s great just to see what our sport has accomplished and that we are able to make that amount of money.”

Walsh could be next, though she is racing against Youngs. Walsh is sixth on the list with $909,857, and Youngs is fifth with $969,683.

May-Treanor made no secret about whom she is rooting for.

“Kerri got me to the million-dollar mark, so I’m going to get her there too,” she said.

A few more performances like Sunday’s, and that should not be a problem.

Youngs and Wacholder played a solid first game, but May-Treanor and Walsh made a series of dazzling plays that extended rallies and seemed to win all the tough points.

The frustration was evident in the body language of Youngs and Wacholder, who had become rivals to May-Treanor and Walsh with three victories last season but now seem a distant second after losses in two consecutive championship matches.

“I think they played some of the best volleyball they’ve played all year, but we didn’t give them anything and I think that frustrated them,” Walsh said. “In the second game, I think they were kind of deflated.”

Walsh and May-Treanor also had revenge on their minds after losing badly to Youngs and Wacholder on the same beach last year. The 21-15, 21-16 loss was the most lopsided May-Treanor and Walsh had taken.

“I wanted to win this very badly,” Walsh said. “We got killed last year. Not that we lost, we got killed. Redemption is nice.”