American beach volleyball duo as good as advertised

BEIJING • Ho-hum.

America's mighty beach volleyball duo, Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor, pulverized Brazil's Talita Rocha and Renata Ribeiro on Monday night to earn a spot in Wednesday's gold-medal match.

The victory was, as usual, dominating. That's what the volleyball world has come to expect from Walsh and May-Treanor.

"We didn't lose to any ordinary team," Rocha said after the U.S. roared to a 21-12, 21-14 victory.

Rocha has a point.

Walsh and May-Treanor have won six straight matches in Beijing, 13 straight Olympic matches and 107 consecutive matches overall. The team hasn't even dropped a set during the tournament.

"We don't think about numbers," May-Treanor said. "The only numbers we think about are ... winning in two sets and finishing No. 1."

The Brazilians never had a chance. Late in the second set, May-Treanor made a diving save and rushed to her feet in time to slam Walsh's set.

The crowd, loud and appreciative on a hot Beijing morning, roared its approval as Walsh bowed to May-Treanor in recognition of her effort.

The Americans' next match might not be so ho-hum, or so friendly.

Walsh and May-Treanor will battle China's Jie Wang and Jia Tian along with a partisan crowd. The Americans, far from home, will hear few cheers.

"We just have to pretend the crowd is cheering for us," May-Treanor said.