Volleyball

It's almost time for Mitt Romney's favorite Olympic sport.

Beach volleyball may seem glamorous and frivolous and all about the wardrobe rather than the sport (and our Republican presidential nominee didn't do much to defeat those assumptions), but this isn't your average beach showdown. According to Box Score News, 48 pairs from 23 countries participate in beach volleyball, a sport that's only been an official part of the Olympic grind since 1996.

And it happens to be one of the sports in which the U.S. women are totally dominant.

Most likely, this year's race toward the gold will come down to the same two nations it generally tends to come down to: the U.S. and Brazil. According to NBC's Jon Ackerman, Brazil has nine medals, but just two of them are gold; the U.S. has fewer medals with seven, but five of them are gold.

If somehow it doesn't come down to those two, China is the most likely nation to be in the mix.

Here's a closer look at the favorites heading into London 2012.

United States

Saying that Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings are going to be the key to the U.S. team is like saying LeBron James will be a significant component of Team USA basketball. The pair is the best America has to offer, and after winning the gold in Beijing in 2008, they became the first-ever beach volleyball pair to win back-to-back golds, according to NBC Sports.

However, they're four years older now with two kids (Walsh Jennings) and a serious Achilles injury (May-Treanor) behind them. It's a given that they're not going to be as dominant as they once were, and there's a reason why the same teams don't win three straight gold medals. That's a lot of years and a lot of wear and tear on the body, and it's difficult to remain on top.

Can the most skilled duo in the history of beach volleyball three-peat? Maybe, but it won't be easy, given the fact that they've been unable to train together for large chunks of time since the 2008 Games, according to NBC. But given their dominance in the past, it's hard to bet against them. 

Brazil

Even given the U.S.'s dominance in the past, this could be the team that sweeps the gold medal out from under the Americans. Brazil, headed up by Larissa Franca and Juliana Silva, is one of the only teams with any history of success against the U.S. This is the pair that took down the illustrious May-Treanor/Walsh Jennings duo back at the 2011 World Championships. In London, they'll try to pull it off again.

Perhaps these two could've stood in the way of the Americans in 2008, too—if Juliana Felisberta hadn't missed out because of a knee injury. This Brazilian team, which owns the most medals in the history of beach volleyball, can't be counted out.

The Brazilian team's confidence is at an all-time high, knowing it can pull off the win against the back-to-back gold medalists. This could be their best chance ever of earning the victory.

China

Aside from the U.S. and Brazil, China is one of the winningest nations in the world in the sport, tallying two medals since 1996, a mark that ties it with Australia. In the 2008 Olympics, Chen Xue and Zhang Xi snagged the bronze medal and they'll be back in action in London, according to Box Score News. On the negative side, the nation's silver medalists from that year are no longer on the team.

As a result, it'll be up to Xue and Xi to make a name for China against the scintillating Brazilian and American teams. They have Olympic experience under their belts, but the 2012 Games will truly be the test of whether they can play at the same level as the top contenders.

After dropping their first-ever set as a team in Olympic competition during their previous match, there were some whispers that the queens of the beach, Americans Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh-Jennings, were a little vulnerable in their Round of 16 volleyball match.

So much for that theory.

Behind their vintage dominant play and a bit of jitters from their opponents, May and Walsh cruised into the quarterfinals by easily disposing of the Dutch team of Marleen Van Iersel and Sanne Keiser, winning 21-13 and 21-12 at London’s Horse Guards Parade on Saturday.

Even at this point in their distinguished careers (May and Walsh are chasing an unprecedented third consecutive gold medal in beach volleyball), the American ladies continue to play sparkling defense. Walsh is as imposing as they come at the net, stifling hitters with her impressive length and arm reach.

And Walsh can let it fly on the block knowing she has one of the best diggers of all time in May playing behind her. May continues to cover the sand like the American soldiers on the beaches of Normandy.

It’s ridiculous how she makes even the most difficult of digs look almost academic. The defense that a duo like Walsh and May possess definitely can get into the heads of many opponents.

That looked to be the case for the Netherlands’ 24-year-old Van Iersel. She finished the match with eight crucial hitting errors.

Giving a team like May and Walsh that many free points is athletic suicide. So after they dropped a set for the first time ever in the Olympics against an Austrian pair in the final game of round-robin play, it looks like Walsh and May are back on track in their quest for a third straight gold medal.

But that doesn’t mean that it’s going to get any easier from here on out. Next up for May and Walsh is a quarterfinal match against the upstart Italian pair of Greta Cicolari and Marta Menegatti.

And if the American ladies do get back to the gold-medal match, they’re likely to face the Olympics’ top-seeded team in Brazilians Larissa Franca and Juliana Felisberta Silva. But given how they steamrolled their way into the quarterfinals, it’s going to be tough to pick against May and Walsh from here on out.

They know it’s time to kick it up a notch, and so far, they certainly have. 

And just like that, the winning streak for the United States men’s volleyball team in Olympic competition is over. Entering their Group B match against Russia on Saturday, head coach Alan Knipe’s USA team looked like the team to beat at the London Olympics.

After all, they were unbeaten in group play and were coming off an impressive 3-1 upset victory over the top-ranked Brazilians. And after the first two sets against the Russians, Team USA looked like their unbeaten streak (which dates back to the 2008 Beijing Olympics) would stretch to an impressive 12-straight matches.

Led by the sustained impressive play of star outside hitter Matt Anderson, Team USA stormed out to a 2-0 set lead against Russia, and had a match point in the third set. But in volleyball, you need to put a team away (especially a juggernaut like the Russians) when you have the chance.

In the end, powered by the unstoppable duo of Serguei Tetioukhine and Maksim Mikhailov (who combined for 40 kills), Russia stormed back to snap Team USA’s winning streak in five sets, winning 27-29, 19-25, 26-24, 25-16, 15-8.

As far as what went wrong for the Americans in their collapse, you have to start with the veteran duo of Reid Priddy and Clay Stanley. If Knipe’s team is to be successful in London, it’s obvious that Priddy and team captain Stanley, along with Anderson, must bring it offensively.

Anderson certainly did his job against Russia. He had 16 kills and attacked the imposing Russian block without fear for much of the match.

But Priddy and Stanley both struggled with their kill attempts. At one point in the match, Priddy was a painful 2-of-19 on his hit attempts, simply not good enough against a talented team like Russia. Eventually, Priddy was replaced by outside hitter Sean Rooney in the fourth set.

Rooney played well in his first big Olympic opportunity, but his contribution did little to turn the Russians away, as they absolutely mauled Knipe’s team in the final two sets.

Stanley finished the five-set marathon with only 12 kills. For a decorated hitter like Stanley, tallying 12 kills is a feat he usually pulls off in three sets, never mind five.

Overall, Team USA hit a meager .169 for the match, compared to winning Russia’s .309 percent. While the loss is a tough one for American fans to swallow, there’s still plenty of reason to be optimistic that this team can repeat as gold medalists. Knipe’s team is still atop their tough group as they prepare to play doormat Tunisia in the final match of group play.

And for at least a game-and-a-half, they’ve proven they can beat anyone on the planet, coming away with a victory against Brazil and a near win against Russia, widely regarded as the field’s two best teams.

Before these Olympics began, I mentioned that Anderson, despite being the team’s youngest player (24), was its best hitter. Now, he’s also turned into the team’s best all-around player.

He’s firing on all cylinders right now. Anderson hasn’t only been hitting impressively, he’s turned into Knipe’s best server and passer, as well.

If he can keep building on his impressive Olympic debut, then this team will fare very well in elimination play. And Knipe has also seen solid play from middle blocker David Lee, veteran setter Donald Suxho and libero Rich Lambourne.

If Priddy and Stanley can rebound, then Team USA will be a very tough out from here on. After a week in London, it’s evident that Brazil, Russia and the United States (in no particular order) are the three best men’s volleyball teams on the court.

Now it’s just a matter of determining which squad will win gold, silver and bronze, respectively.

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh are unbeatable in Olympic play, and they will cruise to their third-straight Olympic gold medal.

On Sunday, the pair scored an easy two-set victory over the Netherlands, advancing them to the quarterfinals. The match took less than 30 minutes to complete, as the Olympic veterans outclassed the Dutch squad at each turn.

"That is the Kerri and Misty people come to see," May-Treanor said to the Huffington Post. ""That's what we want to play like. We just keep elevating each time out."

If that level of play continues, the other teams in the tournament better practice their gracious in-defeat smiles, because that's about all the airtime they'll get against May-Treanor and Walsh.

In the pair's three Olympic Games, they have yet to drop a match. Actually, up until their preliminary contest on Wednesday, they hadn't even dropped a set.

That particular record was broken in the final match of pool play, but it turned out to be a great thing for Walsh and May-Treanor.

Now, they're even more focused and motivated.

If that wasn't enough, the upset of the defending Olympic champions, on the men's side, Americans Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser reminded Walsh and May-Treanor that nobody's invincible.

An important lesson for any great champion.

"It hit me, for sure," Walsh said. "I feel for those guys. It got me thinking and it made me reaffirm that I don't want anything to do with that."

They won't have to either. The pair is still the most dominant team on the sand.

Walsh remains the best blocker in the women's game, and her ability to pound the ball at the net in unparalleled. May-Treanor is still up to her old tricks as well. She's a world-class defender, and persists as an effective passer and shot maker.

There are only two matches remaining until the pair reaches the finals.

When they do, expect them to become three-time champions with ease, firmly establishing themselves as the best tandem to ever grace the sand.

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh continued their dominant streak today in an elimination match against the Netherlands' Marleen Van Iersel and Sanne Keizer, sweeping the match 2-0.

The U.S. duo entered Saturday's competition coming off of a 2-1 victory against Austrian sisters Stefanie and Doris Schwaiger, in which they surprisingly lost their first ever set in three Olympic appearances, which pushed their overall record to 34-1.

Team U.S.A. Volleyball's official twitter account kept fans updated on the match and tweeted the results after it was all said and done:

Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor defeat Netherlands, 21-13, 21-12 #TeamUSA #beachvolleyball

— USA Volleyball (@USA_Volleyball) August 4, 2012

Treanor and Walsh won the first set fairly easily by a score of 21-13.

They led from the start, going up 3-1 and eventually extending that lead to 8-5.

From there, Treanor and Walsh extended the lead 13-7, 16-11 and 20-13 before claiming match point and the first set.

The second set had a different feel to it, as it was tied at three before the U.S. duo broke the tie at 6-5 and eventually extended the lead to 11-8 and then 15-11.

After that, it was all Treanor and Walsh, as they went ahead 19-12 and scored the next two points to earn the victory over Van Iersel and Keizer.

It was a bit of redemption for the pair, who saw their undefeated streak end at the hands of the Schwaiger sisters. There's no doubt that Treanor and Walsh wanted to come out strong and regain their confidence after dropping their first ever set on August 1.

Treanor and Walsh will represent the U.S. in the quarterfinals against Italy's Greta Cicolari and Marta Menegatti on Sunday, August 5 in what will be a test for the duo that has won 18 consecutive Olympic matches.

Cicolari and Marta are coming off a fresh sweep of Spain's Baquerizo McMillan and Fernandez Steinerl.

The Italian pair has the age advantage on the U.S., as Marta is just 21 and Cicolari is 29, but Treanor and Walsh have the obvious advantage given their track record.

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With her ridiculous vertical and great instincts, Destinee Hooker has been both an unstoppable force and in immovable object for the US Olympic women's volleyball team thus far. 

She's been one of the primary reasons that the team has stormed out to a 4-0 start in Group B play while dropping only two sets along the way. 

On Sunday, August 5th, Hooker must continue to dominate against Turkey so that the Americans can move through the group stage with a spotless record and earn a top spot in the elimination rounds. 

Turkey is only 2-2 through the first four games of its London experience, but the USA team can't afford to take any match lightly. 

After scoring 22 points for Team USA against China, Hooker scored another 19 against Serbia. A similar performance will be necessary on Sunday for the top-ranked team to avoid an upset at the hands of a motivated Turkish squad. 

The former Texas Longhorn has by no means been a one-dimensional player during her breakout performances in London. 

Against Serbia, Hooker paced her team with 12 spikes, six kill blocks and a 47.62 kill percentage. Hooker also recorded four digs during the straight-set victory. 

The 6'4" warrior has been a complete player in the air, whether the Americans have been on the offensive or defensive during any given point. 

As the opposite attacker for USA, Hooker has been the second-leading scorer in the women's field of competition, trailing only Yeon-Koung Kim—albeit by a sizable margin. 

There's no way that she's going to make a 20-point comeback in just the game against Turkey but keeping up her pace would all but assure an American victory and a 5-0 start. 

Most of us were stunned when Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh lost their first Olympic set, but the truth is that the once-dynamic duo isn't really dynamic anymore. 

In fact, don't be surprised if May-Treanor and Walsh don't make the podium at all in 2012. 

I know, I know. It seems completely wrong to dismiss two of the greatest Olympic volleyball players the world has ever known just because they lost a single set. After all, they did come back to win the match against Austria's Stefanie and Doris Schwaiger, and they did so in dominant fashion. 

Trust me. I want them to win just as badly as you. I'm an American through and through. 

But facts are facts, and the fact of the matter is that May-Treanor and Walsh have been looking shady most of the 2012 season. 

They got people excited for their Olympic run when they won the 1to1 Energy Grand Slam in Gstaad in early July, but it came 11 months after their previous victory, according to NBCOlympics.com. The duo had lost many a match in between, oftentimes missing out on the third round and semifinals.

Heading into the 2012 Summer Games, May-Treanor and Walsh were only ranked No. 8 on the Swatch World Tour. 

They have a relatively easy pool to deal with in the preliminary rounds in London. Their toughest competition was the duo from the Czech Republic, Kristyna Kolocova and Marketa Slukova, ranked No. 10 on the Swatch World Tour and No. 11 in the Olympic qualification rankings. 

If May-Treanor and Walsh were still dominant, none of the teams in their pool should have been able to challenge them, but they were challenged, nonetheless.

The truth is that both women are past their prime. They're getting older, at 35 and 33, and it is unreasonable to expect that they should be able to keep up with the new generation of star beach volleyball players.

The oldest top players are all as young as May-Treanor and Walsh were when they dominated the world in 2008. Many of them are younger. Their time as the world's best has passed away.

May-Treanor and Walsh are not going to escape the inevitable decline that every other top athlete in the world faces as their bodies start to lose strength and vitality in minute increments. 

Heck, Michael Phelps is facing it right now, just as they are.

There's no shame in getting older. It happens to the best of us. Don't be surprised to see this dynamic duo lose their golden glow this summer in London.

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While not every sport at the London Olympics gets the attention it deserves, fans should start taking notice of the United States women's volleyball team.

The U.S. women have never won a gold medal in the Olympics, but this year looks like it is going to be different. They come into the games ranked No. 1 in the world according to FIVB, and are already off to a great start in London.

The squad has won all three matches so far, including against No. 2 Brazil and No. 3 China. In those games, the team has only lost two sets and was never in danger of losing the match.

Leading the team is Destinee Hooker. The former Texas Longhorn leads the entire competition with 66 scorers, helped by her 58 spikes—which is also the most at the Olympics. Her play has helped the U.S. lead all countries in spikes and efficiency.

Hooker and the rest of the team are playing with confidence that they have never had before. They won the World Grand Prix each of the past three years and are now expecting to win every time they take the floor.

Coach Hugh McCutcheon has been a big difference for this squad that was able to finish with the silver medal in Beijing. McCutcheon led the men's team to gold in those Olympics and has given that wisdom to the females in the sport.

After a difficult stretch of games, the team can now relax a bit against Serbia and Turkey and work on improving for the knockout stage. They will likely win their group, but have to make sure they will be ready for the win-or-go-home atmosphere.

Americans as a whole do not follow volleyball as much as other Olympic sports. The squad tried to gain popularity by posing in ESPN's Body Issue. 

It is about time they are respected for what they do on the court.

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Kerri Walsh Jennings' pinkeye will not be enough to ruin her and Misty May-Treanor's gold medal dreams in London. Sometimes they seem like they could each play without an arm or a leg. They're that good.

Walsh doesn't seem concerned. She had this to say in an Associated Press interview (per mercurynews.com):

"It's super minor," she said. "It just looks worse than it is."

The report then gave a more vivid description of Walsh's condition:

Walsh Jennings' left eye was red and watery as she squinted through it, dabbing it repeatedly with a tissue to wipe away the gunk and teardrops.

It's certainly something to pay attention too. Pinkeye isn't fun (trust me), and Walsh Jennings will certainly feel under the weather, but these two athletes are too dominant to let this get them down. Even the No. 2 team, Brazil, has to play flawlessly to have hopes of knocking off USA's dynamic duo.

Walsh Jennings and Treanor have won gold at the past two Summer Olympics. So far in London they are 2-0. Their 16-match win streak is intimidating by itself. In the volleyball world, they are a force of nature.

According to the report, Walsh Jennings' husband is dealing with the same issue, but worse:

"It looks like his eyeballs got their butts kicked," she said.

If she was that bad, this might ruin any chances of their third Olympic gold. You have to believe that Walsh Jennings knows herself better than anyone else. If she says she's fine she is, and even if she wasn't the American team would still be an incredibly tough out in London.

This changes nothing. Expect Walsh Jennings and Treanor to don a gold medal by summer's end.

The two Men's Volleyball finalists from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing have certainly played as though then intend on meeting again in these London Games.

Both Brazil and the United States are slotted in Group B, but neither have lost a set yet and looked very sharp so far.

Brazil is coming off of a win against a tough very Russian team, which was ranked No.2 in the world heading into the tournament. Many thought Brazil would be tested by the size of the Russians and the attacking prowess of 2011 FIVB World Cup MVP Maxim Mikhaylov, perhaps the best player in the world.

Instead, Brazil held Mikhaylov to 10 spikes on just 18% hitting efficiency, forcing six errors and blocking him multiple times in the most crucial moments of the match.

Brazil out-blocked the Russians nine to five, and passed the ball with a 61.7 percent reception success rate (any pass that can the setter can set his full complement of hitters), while Russia passed for just 55.6 percent.

The Americans had a similarly impressive performance against the Germans, minus this play. Even though the Germans are ranked just No.10 in the FIVB rankings, spiking your way to 41 points on 43.8 percent efficiency and relying on just 17 opponent errors for points is impressive. 

So what can we expect from the matchup of the superpowers? Well, to say this is a totally different game than 2008 wouldn't be as accurate as one would think.

USA returns many of their most important pieces from the Beijing gold medalists, including middle David Lee, veterans outside Reid Priddy and libero Richard Lambourne, and the powerful opposite hitter, Clay Stanley.

Brazil's side still have two of the best outsides in the world in Giba and Dante Amaral, although Giba is 35 years of age and losing playing time to Murilho Endres, who may be Brazil's best attacker. Their backcourt is still anchored by long-time libero, Sergio.  

Even though Brazil just held down Mikhaylov, no other outside hitter on Russia was able to take advantage of the attention their star drew and post more than six spikes.

This will not be the case with USA; they have the best outside attacking tandem in the tournament with Matt Anderson on the left, and Clay Stanley on the right. In their two matches, Anderson and Stanley have accounted for 64 percent of USA's successful attacks.

It will be interesting to see how head coach Bernardo Rezende deals with Anderson and Stanley. Brazil has blocked well in transition; when they force teams into bad passes and give their blockers a chance to set up, their triple block is virtually unbeatable.

However, if Lambourne and Reid Priddy can provide some good passes for new setter Donald Suxho, the new Brazilian middles may have trouble making the right choices on blocks. They've gotten solid production out of Lucas Saatkamp, for sure.

However, the other starting middle, Juniors Dos Santos (no, not the MMA fighter) looked lost at times, making seven block errors against Russia.

Anderson and Stanley boast spike touches of 360 and 358 cm, respectively. They hit high off the block and will score even when the defense is in perfect position.

Although Brazil has played a bit of a two-man rotation at the right side, I believe we will see much more of Leandro Vissotto, who is 6'11'' and not much of an attacker, but came up with three huge blocks in the third set against Russia. 

While the attention will be on the big men, the game will be won at the back line. Whoever serves tougher and receives the serve better will provide their team with more versatility on the attack, and ultimately win the game. 

Prediction: USA def. Brazil 3-1. It will be an exciting game and Brazil's middles will have a tough time with USA's patterns on offense.