Frustration sank in last summer on the sand in Athens, Greece.
Elaine Youngs and Holly McPeak had just lost to Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor – again, this time in the beach volleyball semifinals of the 2004 Summer Olympics. An eventual bronze medal would do little to soothe the pair.
Walsh and May-Treanor dominated the world: an Olympic gold medal without losing a game, 89 consecutive wins and 15 consecutive tournament titles on the Association of Volleyball Professional Tour, which stops in Boulder this weekend, and Federation Internationale de Volleyball World Tour.
After Athens, Youngs and McPeak had enough. They ended their three-year partnership in search of the formula that would topple the champions.
“We thought it would be better to mix it up to try to beat them,” said Youngs, who lives in Durango.
Though McPeak “initiated the breakup,” it is Youngs who found the right teammate. Enter Rachel Wacholder, a former standout at the University of Colorado.
Youngs had seen her perform before the Olympics when Wacholder was teamed with Walsh while May-Treanor recovered from an injury. Youngs and Wacholder joined forces in February.
“I wasn’t sure how she’d handle being under pressure and with (Walsh and May-Treanor) breathing down our neck,” Youngs said. “But Rachel was playing well and proved a lot, and it made my decision easier.”
The new partnership wasn’t immediately successful. Walsh and May-Treanor won 39 consecutive matches to start the 2005 season. They dominated until the finals of the Cincinnati Open on July 2. That’s when something stunning happened. The women with Colorado ties defeated the best team in the world. Then they did it again. And again.
“I think we are better athletically than they are,” Youngs said. “They’re back on their heels and they’re getting irritated.”
Youngs, 35, and Wacholder, 30, proved they could play with the world’s best.
In the past five AVP finals, Youngs and Wacholder have recorded two victories. And in the past seven matchups, which includes the AVP and FIVB competitions, they have won three against the 6-foot-3 Walsh and the 5-10 May-Treanor.
“Now it’s not just a given anymore,” Wacholder said. “Kerri and Misty are not going to win as many times as they did before. We know we can hang with those girls. We’re too good of a team to let them win every weekend.”
The most recent win for Youngs and Wacholder was two weeks ago at the Huntington Beach Open finals, where they dispatched the back-to-back AVP champions in a two-game match that lasted 43 minutes.
AVP commissioner Leonard Armato said he is pleased to see the emergence of Youngs and Wacholder. He said Youngs has a shot at winning the most valuable player award and Wacholder the most improved player.
“They’ve created a legitimate rivalry, something that hasn’t happened in this sport for some time,” Armato said.
Wacholder, 5-9, is ecstatic at having a true blocker like Youngs, who at 6-feet can compete at the net with Walsh. They complement each other well.
“She’s very fiery and emotional, and I’m little more mellow,” Wacholder said.
“(Rachel’s) been getting more yellow cards (this season). She’s kicking balls around and her feistiness is right up there,” Youngs said.
“I like having a partner like that; Holly had tunnel vision. It’s so much funnier to have emotion and laugh at her own boneheaded mistakes.”
Sometimes the personalities clash, said coach Liz Masakayan.
“My job is to make their personalities mesh in a positive way and make sure they don’t take it personally,” she said. “I wouldn’t have coached them if I didn’t think they didn’t have a chance to beat (Walsh and May-Treanor).”
The champions hold a 326-point lead over Youngs and Wacholder in the AVP series.
But the Colorado women hope home-court advantage and the fact they have competed in the high altitude bodes well for their chances at another victory.
Boulder Open
Where: Boulder Reservoir, 5565 North 51st St.
Who to look for: Gold-medal winners Misty May and Kerri Walsh, 2004 Olympic bronze-medal winners Holly McPeak and Durango resident Elaine Youngs and University of Colorado alumna Rachel Wacholder. On the men’s side, three-time Olympic gold-medal winner Karch Kiraly, Mike Lambert and 2000 Olympic gold medalists Eric Fonoimoana and Dain Blanton.
When: Today, qualifier, 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Saturday, main draw, 8 a.m.-6 a.m.
Sunday, men’s and women’s finals, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Tickets: General admission: $15; $5 with student ID; courtside seating: $25; beach club (food/drinks included) $50. Tickets are available at www.avp.com.
Staff writer Bryan Chu can be reached at 303-820-1979 or bchu@denverpost.com.
