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All remaining U.S. beach volleyball teams advance

Two women's teams to face each other tomorrow

by Leila Hanaumi on September 11, 2009

After several days of mixed results, joy and disappointment on the sands of Pacific Green Bay, the U.S. Beach Volleyball Team finally left with a unanimous feeling of victory Friday. Something stirred and brewed throughout the night, and it awoke in the U.S. Women's Beach Volleyball Team. It was a beautiful Friday — the sun was out, the wind blowing, and the U.S. on fire. Laurie Achin and Stacy Nikiforov were the first American duo to play, going up against Uzbekistan. Achin showed no signs of injury, taking tumbling falls to save out-of-bounds balls and making smart plays. Nikiforov also played better than in past days, inflicting a few memorable moves on Uzbekistan. The match didn't last very long — the U.S. wiped out Uzbekistan in the first game, 21-7, and won a less speedy second game, 21-18. "I feel great!" said Nikiforov, who is expecting a baby with husband and fellow U.S. beach volleyball player Dimitri Nikiforov in 5 ½ months. "The baby is helping me play at my best," she said with a smile. With one win under the U.S.'s bikini bottoms, Jessica Ensign and Nancy Moore next took the sand against Germany, exhibiting an entirely different team chemistry than the one fans saw in past games. Instead of trying to suppress their frustrations, as in past games, Ensign and Moore jumped up and down, clutching each other's hands after an excellent play. Moore delivered passes that enabled Ensign to make the most spikes in their games thus far, and Ensign took advantage of every hitting opportunity. They beat Germany, 21-18. "They're playing a lot better," Achin said. However, the wind wasn't on the Americans' side, with strong, constant gusts of air. Minor flaws caused Ensign and Moore to lose in a reversed score, 21-18. Nevertheless, in the third set, Ensign and Moore appeared determined to conquer Germany. Right off the bat, Ensign made impressive saves, and Moore continued to be sharp. When U.S. and Germany tied at 11, Ensign called for a time-out. She came back with a clean attack, sending the Americans up one point. Ensign and Moore continued to extend their lead until Moore made the winning ace to win, 15-12. Moore fell onto the sand in celebration, and the entire U.S. Women's Team ran towards each other, embracing. "It was the best game ever!" Moore said. She and partner Ensign had a "long and throughout talk last night that ended in a hug," she added. The talk paid off with a victory. Both female teams currently are in the final eight and will face each other Saturday. "I'm so excited" about the two wins Friday, coach Lauren Mills said. "But I'm both happy and sad about them playing versus each other tomorrow. At least, one team will advance." Ensign, on the other hand, isn't thrilled about going against the other U.S. team. "I hate this part. I wish we could play each other for the gold instead," she said. Whatever happens, however, Moore said, the entire team is "100 percent sisters." In the afternoon, the remaining men's team, Mike Bruning and Dimitri Nikiforov, won a mediocre 2-0 match against Greece. Although they continue to be undefeated, they said they weren't very happy with their performance. The wind was stronger later in the day, which Nikiforov wasn't used to, he said. "We made nine serving errors altogether. That's too much," Bruning said. "But that's easily fixed." However, coach Said Soukiane said he wasn't worried. "Never," he said, chuckling. "They'll be better tomorrow." Saturday will bring interesting results — only two American teams can advance, as the women battle it out for a spot in the finals.

(Photo by Hui Zhang)
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