"We want to win (again)," she said after a training session at the Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball ground. "We put pressure on ourselves." The U.S. player teamed up with Walsh and they did not lose a single game in their seven matches at the 2004 Athens Games. But this time in Beijing, things may be a little bit different. "Everybody is tough," said May-Treanor, who pointed out the two host teams, Tian Jia/Wang Jie and Zhang Xi/Xue Chen, as hard to play against. "The Brazilian teams are pretty good, and the other U.S. team is very strong as well. These are the top entries. "We want to play our best Volleyball here, we feel we're capable and we're getting better," she said. The U.S. pair is widely expected to be in the running to retain their Olympic gold medal if they perform to the best of their abilities. They have been on a hot streak on the SWATCH FIVB World Tour in the past years and are No. 1 and 2 on the all-time women's victory list - 102 for May-Treanor, 99 for Walsh. They have won 96 tournaments together. The players said they have to keep playing well since the rivals are making rapid progress. Three-time Olympian May-Treanor expects they can use their experience to gain an upper hand over their rivals in Beijing, pointing out that although other teams may have strong serves the Americans can score with side-outs while having better control of the matches. Walsh, who was named the most outstanding player at the Athens Games, is also looking forward to better performance in Beijing. "Of course I will be better this time," she said. "In face of more strong rivals. We need to get better." The two, who began to pair up eight years ago, said they felt comfortable playing as a duo. "We understand each other and we want the same things. Both of us work very hard in pools. I love playing with Kerri," May-Treanor said. Said Walsh: "Misty is an amazing partner." After arriving in Beijing on Monday, the Americans said they need to take some time to adapt to the hot weather. "We must get used to the heat and humidity", said May-Treanor. Walsh, in Beijing for the the first time, said: "The city is beautiful and the people here are kind." (Xinhua) |
