Misty May-Treanor, Kerri Walsh Win Third Straight Beach Volleyball Gold

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings are essentially a dynasty in women’s beach volleyball, having won gold medals in 2004 and 2008 while representing Team USA. The teammates proved that the third time was a charm, too, as they were able to take home their third consecutive gold medal following their victory in the all-USA finals at the 2012 London Olympics.

May-Treanor and Walsh once again stuck close through the early points in the second set of the gold medal match, but the veterans eventually did just enough to defeat their American teammates in Jennifer Kessy and April Ross while clinching their third straight Olympic victory.

Kessy and Ross were able to stick with May-Treanor and Walsh early, but the reigning champions went on a four-point run to force Kessy and Ross to call a timeout at 18-14 as they tried to shift the momentum. It didn’t work, though, and May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings earned their third consecutive gold medal with a 21-16 victory in the final set of the Olympics.

It was an incredibly impressive run for May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings considering they lost just one set throughout their quest to the gold medal -- especially considering they actually retired for a bit in between the Beijing and London Olympics.

For more on the Olympics, check out SB Nation’s London 2012 Olympics hub. For more on Olympic beach volleyball, follow the 2012 Olympic beach volleyball section.