See Dave on Mojo TV: Hulu - Beach Volleyball: Youngs and Branagh: A Shot at Glory

Roughly ten days ago, Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh collapsed in embarrassing style to the Chinese team. As Nicole summed it up, “This was not the match in which to have a bad day.” They were served up and left for dead. I found it sad that the (possibly) retiring EY’s last chance summer dance could have been her worst day on the sand. Going into the Olympics they had been limping, obviously exhausted from the schedule. Jen Boss and April Ross had been giving them a shellbackering in the previous two tourneys.

I should have known better than to think that of Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh. Today they were in Mason,. Ohio in front one of the largest crowds ever for an AVP event.

Youngs and Branagh took it to the reining Olympic Gold Medalists in an inspired 21-19, 10-21, 25-23 tourney win in Mason, Ohio. Breaking the 104 game winning streak of the Golden Girls, Misty May and Kerri Walsh, it was an on the edge of your bleacher, rowdy battle of “who had something left in the tank.”

With 12 count ‘em, TWELVE heartpounding tournament points, the pressure kept building. I sat on the couch leaning forward fueling anxiety and diving apple slices into vanilla yogurt. Yes, I was strapped for snacks. . For the first time in a long time, I had felt the real tension on the AVP tour. The real tension that first got me involved with the sport. It seemed unfamiliar, claiming a forgotten vacancy.

As Willy Wonka once said “The suspense is terrible... I hope it'll last.”

Then on TP 11, a long serve from EY was met with a desperation stretch leap by Kerri. The ball bounced off of the court. EY and Branagh celebrated and hugged.

Hold on folks, it ain’t over yet. The ball had bounced off of the camera boom.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot ?!?

Kerri and Misty had no hope of making the shot. IT was over. But the ball slighted the camera boom.

EY took the ball and pounded it into hands. She had just pointed out to that she was actually smiling. Now she just look frustrated.. what do I have to do to get a break here?

Everyone looked tired. The last few months have been brutal. All the top teams have been zig-zagging around the world with a Hermosa today, Switzerland tomorrow schedule.

Then she launched it and it was over for real There was no doubt they had earned it and we, the fans, deserved the show..

It’s been a bland year on the beach. The marquee names have been opting for World tournaments and have been absent from the AVP tour. As a result the excitement has been missing. The victories have been tainted and flaccid, rarely worth the admission charge.

But now they’re back and the remaining four stops will be drag out slam bam matches.

Who doesn’t want to knock off the champs?

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