DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, October 11, 2008 - With two teams in the finals, the United States claimed its 76th women’s SWATCH FIVB World Tour gold medal here Saturday evening as Nicole Branagh and Kerri Walsh out-lasted and Jen Boss and April Ross for the Dubai Open title. Competing in their first-ever Beach Volleyball event together, the top-seeded Branagh and Walsh scored a 21-18 and 21-19 win in 46 minutes over the third-seeded Boss and Ross to share the US$28,000 first-place prize while the losers split $19,500 for the silver-medal finish. In winning her 38th international gold medal, Walsh tied long-time partner Misty May-Treanor for the most titles at FIVB-sanctioned events. May-Treanor did not enter the $350,000 Dubai Open event because of her participation the American “Dancing with the Stars” television program where she withdrew from the competition because of an Achilles surgery. Walsh and May-Treanor have captured 35 FIVB titles together, including two Olympic and three World Championship gold medals. May-Treanor’s first three SWATCH titles were with Holly McPeak in 2000. Walsh claimed two FIVB crowns in 2004 with Rachel Wacholder when May-Treanor was sidelined with an adnominal strain prior to the Athens Olympic Games. “It is good to finish the season with a gold medal while having the opportunity to play with Kerri,” said Branagh, who captured a SWATCH FIVB World Tour title earlier this season with Elaine Youngs in Barcelona, Spain. “I felt we got stronger as a team with each match. Today’s finale featured two teams with big and physical players. We just made the plays at the right time.” Walsh has now placed on a SWATCH FIVB World Tour with four different players, including a 2001 bronze-medal finish with McPeak in a Brazilian event. While her first FIVB event with May-Treanor was a ninth place in 2001, Walsh has now medaled with her next three partners as she and Walcholder were third in their first SWATCH stop in 2004 at Stavanger, Norway.
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