Kerri Walsh Jennings, April Ross Fall To Brazil In Olympic Semifinal

Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross lost to Brazilian pair Agatha and Barbara, the reigning world champions, in straight sets Wednesday morning in Rio di Janeiro in the women’s beach volleyball semifinals.

Kerri Walsh Jennings, April Ross Fall To Brazil In Olympic Semifinal

The defeat marked Walsh Jennings’ first Olympic loss, and she left Copacabana Beach a wreck after being denied her quest for an unprecedented fourth gold medal.

“Terrible feeling,” Walsh Jennings said.

“Good answer,” said Ross.

After three Olympic Games with partner Misty May-Treanor, Walsh Jennings, 38, was 21-0, and she and Ross had won five matches in Rio prior to the semifinal before a full house at the 12,000-seat Beach Volleyball Arena, packed with an unsurprisingly Brazilian-predominant crowd.

“They outplayed us pretty much in every way,” Walsh Jennings said. “Not out-hustled us, not out-hearted us, not out-team-worked us, but they outplayed us.

“We could squash that team and we have in the past. I say that with so much respect for them. They’re very very good. Tonight they rose to the occasion. I certainly did not. There’s no excuse for it. It’s just terrible execution.”

The American pair entered the Rio Games seeded No. 3 while Agatha and Barbara were No. 2.

Walsh Jennings and Ross will now play for the bronze medal against the other home crowd favorites, Brazilians Larissa and Talita. 

Agatha and Barbara will face top-seeded Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst of Germany in the final for the gold that Walsh Jennings has owned for 12 years.

“We had so many opportunities to take the match into our hands and do what we came to do, and we didn’t do that,” Ross said. “And that is the hardest thing to swallow. They played really well and they played really well on (defense), got some great digs, kept some rallies going, but we had so many opportunities and I know it’s going to kill me to watch that.

“They were just sharper on their execution.”

Though Ludwig called the raucous crowd “kind of a third player on the court” for the Brazilians and added they were not always fair, the American duo said they didn’t hear any booing, but only cheers.

“It just felt like a highly energized crowd cheering for their team,” Ross said.

The Brazilians made less unforced errors and won the longer points. They took the first set 22-20 and the second 21-18.

Although the Americans kept it close, and even led 18-16 in the first set, they then began easily giving away points.

Walsh Jennings confessed she played “rocky.”

“You’ve got to pass the ball to win matches,” she said, noting that the Brazilians scored aces on her. “That’s unacceptable and inexcusable It’s really, really disappointing and heartbreaking to not do that tonight.

“That was what kind of what set the tone and we never got our mojo on anything else.”

The last time she and Ross played for an Olympic medal, they were on opposite sides of the net.

Walsh Jennings won the gold medal at the London 2012 Games with partner May-Treanor while Ross and partner Jennifer Kessy took the silver.

After shaking hands at the net four years ago, Walsh Jennings– who knew May-Treanor was retiring– said to Ross, “Let’s win gold in Rio.”

Unfortunately, they will now have to settle for bronze as their goal for these Games.

“It’s our final now,” said Ross, noting that she expected Larissa and Talita, who have a 4-1 career edge over Walsh Jennings and Ross, to be just as ticked off about not playing for the gold.

“They’ll fight tooth and nail, so we’re going to have to show up and play better than we did tonight,” Ross said.

Walsh Jennings placed fourth in 2000 as a member of the U.S. Olympic indoor volleyball team.

Asked if she’ll play in another Olympics, she said, “I know I can. I don’t know if I will. I want to fix my match and I want to go home with a bronze medal and then we’ll see.”