Youngs, Wacholder Continue Power Play

The first time Elaine Youngs and Rachel Wacholder defeated Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, it could have been a fluke.

The second time, it signaled that Youngs and Wacholder were going to be a thorn in May-Treanor and Walsh’s side for a long time.

The third time, a resounding 21-15, 21-16 victory Sunday in the final of the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Huntington Beach Open, was an emphatic statement that there’s no longer a single dominant women’s team in pro beach volleyball.

Youngs and Wacholder sent May-Treanor and Walsh home without a title for only the second time in 16 tournaments worldwide since they won the Olympic gold medal in Athens a year ago, and handed them their first two-game loss since the Manhattan Beach Open semifinals on June 6, 2004.

It ended a string of five consecutive worldwide victories by May-Treanor and Walsh, and their 31 total points equaled the fewest they have scored in a match since teaming in 2001 and fewest in an AVP event.

“I think it was pretty darn perfect,” Youngs said of the team’s performance. “We had the complete package. It’s not easy to beat them, but to beat them in the fashion that we did is a little mind-boggling, still.”

It is the second AVP win of the season for Youngs and Wacholder, who defeated May-Treanor and Walsh on July 2 in the Cincinnati Open final, and confirmed this is a rivalry to watch.

Youngs and Wacholder started this season 0-7 against May-Treanor and Walsh but are 3-4 in their last seven meetings, including a third-round match during an international event that May-Treanor and Walsh ended up winning.

“I think the first time we played them it was a rivalry because you could see how good they were going to be and they were still going to improve,” Walsh said.

Early on, it appeared that May-Treanor and Walsh would continue winning as they took a 6-3 lead in Game 1, but Wacholder and Youngs adjusted their defense. Youngs threw up late blocks and confused May-Treanor .

They scored six consecutive points for a 9-6 lead that they did not relinquish. The second game was all Wacholder and Youngs, with Wacholder scrambling for digs on almost every play, Youngs seemingly getting a piece of every hitting attempt and both of them finding the lines on their kill attempts.

“I feel like there were very few balls that hit the sand without one of us touching it, which is, I think, frustrating,” Wacholder said.

May-Treanor and Walsh acknowledged frustration. May-Treanor received most of the serves and had a .350 hitting percentage, well below her season average of .503. Walsh, who averages 2.8 blocks a match, had only one in Sunday’s final.

“This is the best I’ve seen them play together as a team,” May-Treanor said. “That’s what your goal is. You want to be running on all cylinders. Obviously this wasn’t our best performance. It just wasn’t a sideout day for me. I was having problems.”

The bad news for May-Treanor and Walsh is that Youngs and Wacholder say they haven’t yet peaked and they are no longer concerned with trying to compete against the past success of May-Treanor and Walsh.

“We’re still getting better as a team,” Youngs said. “We’re getting so much more confident. I have made it kind of my mantra to have fun, live in the moment, enjoy every play. If you get caught up in the past records and what happened last tournament, you’re going to go crazy.”