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Pair Don't Defer To Legend

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By BART O'CONNELL, Tribune correspondent

Published: June 4, 2007

TAMPA - If it wasn't for their long string of futility in championship matches, Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal may have been more kind to their opponents Sunday afternoon.

The second seeds in the AVP Esurance Tampa Open were just as in awe as the rest of the crowd to see 46-year-old Karch Kiraly, teamed with Kevin Wong, back in the finals. Kiraly was going for career open win No. 149. But when you've lost your last 10 consecutive finals matches, respecting a legend in your sport isn't the top priority.

Gibb and Rosenthal won 21-18, 21-17 before about 3,000 fans in the stadium court outside the St. Pete Times Forum to capture their second AVP title as a team. They were followed by women's top seeds Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, who overcame early trouble to beat Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs 21-19, 21-15 for their sixth title in seven tournaments this year. Both winning teams pocketed $20,000.

'We knew we were going to win, if we kept giving ourselves chances,' Rosenthal said. 'Hopefully this will open the floodgates.'

'I can't explain what it's like to play against Kiraly in the final. I mean, I wanted him to win,' Gibb said. 'I don't know. I just love the guy and look up to him and admire him so much.'

Kiraly and Wong were clearly the crowd favorites, but in the searing heat, Gibb and Rosenthal showed the skills that had put them in five other finals this year. They hit .490 as a team and had no trouble with Wong's block, though they were behind the entire first game until a Wong attack error made it 19-18. They scored five of the last six points in the second game to clinch.

'We probably played our worst match of the tournament but we were still right with them,' Kiraly said. 'That is a great, great team.'

May-Treanor and Walsh admittedly weren't at their best, but it was still good enough to overcome a 13-8 deficit in the first game. The victory left them so tired; May-Treanor compared how she felt to the main character in the movie 'Weekend at Bernie's.'

Their momentum from the Game 1 comeback carried into Game 2, as they never trailed and gradually built a commanding lead thanks to a high number of errors from Branagh and Youngs. Walsh finished off the match by registering her fourth block.

'Because things weren't going the way we wanted them to, we were a little off, mentally you have to focus more and find different ways to win,' May-Treanor said. 'We were having to make it up in other areas.'

It was Walsh's 72nd career win, tying Holly McPeak for second-most all-time behind only May-Treanor, who now has 75. They will try to add another victory next weekend in Atlanta.

'I'm proud,' Walsh said. 'I'm up there with the two top ladies in the world, I have so much respect for Holly McPeak. She's set the standard so high and it's been an honor chasing her.'

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