Aug 7, 2012; London, United Kingdom; Misty May-Treanor (USA) and Kerri Walsh Jennings celebrate after beating Chen Xue (CHN) and Xi Zhang (CHN) in the women's semifinal match during the London 2012 Olympic Games at Horse Guards Parade. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
LONDON - There were extra hugs, especially loud cheers and essentially a victory lap around the court.
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh definitely weren't acting as if they'd been there before, even though, of course, they've won their share of Olympic semifinal matches.
After they came back from deficits in both sets to beat China's Xi Zhang and Chen Xue 22-20, 22-20 Tuesday night, May-Treanor and Walsh couldn't contain themselves. This one meant more, and this gold would mean more than the two they own.
May-Treanor and Walsh will face the other American duo -April Ross and Jennifer Kessy - in Wednesday night's gold medal match at Horse Guards Parade. It is the first time two USA women's teams will meet in an Olympic final, and it's also the last time May-Treanor and Walsh will compete together.
"It's an emotional thing," Walsh said. "We have one more match together, and we're not thinking that it's about that yet, but it heightens everything."
That means the 13-7 deficit in the first set of Tuesday's semifinal felt even larger than it was. The six consecutive points May-Treanor and Walsh reeled off at that point? Even more game-changing. When the match see-sawed in the second set, it felt even more dramatic.
So the victory tasted sweeter, especially because of how difficult it has been for the world's most famous beach volleyball players to get back in the gold medal match.
There was a baby, an Achilles injury and, most recently, some mental issues for the pair to overcome.
About two months ago, May-Treanor and Walsh were training for their unprecedented third goal medal, but something was wrong. They couldn't figure it out.
"We were trying to find this easy answer - if we jump higher or move faster - and it was never physical," Walsh said. "It was only mental and emotional."
So they went to see a sports psychologist Walsh had been seeing since 2009.
"What it came down to was we were afraid of disappointing each other," Walsh said. "That's not possible for Misty for ever to disappoint me, and vice versa. Once we realized that, it was like, 'We've been so silly.' But I think we had to go through that."
Walsh has worked on her own anxiety issues. For example, she said she'll spell the word "pass" many times a day to control her mind and psyche. Right before opponents serve, she's thinking P-A-S-S.
The sports psychologist is here in London, too, and he's working with the pair to make sure they remain focused throughout the Games.
"We had two goals since we reconnected and talked to our sports psychologist," Walsh said. "One was to cherish every moment together, cherish the journey because the journey allows you to learn and grow. The other was to win a gold medal.
"We've absolutely been learning and cherishing every moment. Now, we have one more goal to accomplish, and we are going to do it."
Tuesday night's semifinal might have been the perfect preparation for Wednesday's gold medal match though it seemed a bit nerve-wracking. May-Treanor and Walsh were down by six points in the first set and faced a set point in the second. Still, they managed to come up with a big block or a key defensive play when it mattered most.
Instead of coasting into the final - like they did in Athens and Beijing without losing a set in either Olympics - they're coming into this one having faced obstacles. And, more important, they've overcome them.
"You've got to learn something from each match you play in," May-Treanor said. "When we played the Schwaiger sisters (in group play), we lost the first set. We were able to come back and win. Against China, we were down in the first set.
"Our coach always tells us there isn't a situation we haven't been in that we feel we can't get out of. That's what you have to take from that. Obviously, you don't want to be down in the first set. ... But we've done it before. We can do this. It's just us sticking together."
In an interesting twist, May-Treanor and Walsh's final match together will come against fellow Americans. Though Kessy and Ross are not nearly as well known as those they'll face Wednesday, they are no slouches. To reach the final, they had to take out the top-seeded and reigning world champion Brazilians, Juliana Silva and Larissa Franca, on a rainy, windy night. After losing the first set, Kessy and Ross came back to win 15-21, 21-19, 15-12.
They know what they're up against in the final, and they know how emotional it's going to be for May-Treanor and Walsh.
But Kessy and Ross aren't worried about spoiling it. They think it's their time for gold.
"We are our own team," Kessy said. "Kerri and Misty deserve everything that they get, and we know why they're famous. We know why they have two gold medals. But April and I are here. We're in the final, and it's not just 'the other U.S. team' anymore.
"They do have two gold medals, and I don't think we would be a spoiler of anything. They've gotten their two gold medals."
Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY