May and Walsh handle pressure

ATHENS -- Misty May and Kerri Walsh were feeling the pressure before their Olympic beach volleyball semifinal against fellow Americans and friendly rivals Holly McPeak and Elaine Youngs.

Once the match began, it hardly showed.

May and Walsh, the world's top-ranked team, made McPeak and Youngs scramble for every point and pulled away in the second set for a 21-18, 21-15 victory last night.

"That was the most stressful match I've ever had to play in my life," Walsh said. "The tension of the Olympic Games, the excitement, it was all bubbling over."

Both said they would sleep better knowing they are guaranteed to win the first women's beach volleyball medal for the United States.

"I'm drained," Walsh said. "But I'll get it all back in 10 minutes and get ready for tomorrow."

McPeak has come close to winning a beach volleyball medal twice, finishing fifth with May in 2000 and fifth with Nancy Reno in 1996, when the sport made its Olympic debut.

After Walsh tapped an easy winner to end last night's match, McPeak and Youngs ducked under the net to embrace the winners.

"Elaine came over and said, `Kerri, bring home the gold. We're expecting it,' " Walsh said. "Then Holly said, 'You deserve it. Go get it.' That's what we intend to do."

The No. 1 Americans will play for the gold today against second-seeded Brazilians Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar, who defeated Australians Natalie Cook and Nicole Sanderson, 21-17, 21-16. The Brazilians won the silver in 2000, losing to Cook and Kerri Pottharst.

McPeak and Youngs, the No. 4 seeds, will meet the Aussies for the bronze. McPeak, the sport's all-time winningest female player, said she and Youngs won't take long to regroup from last night.