Two American pairs advance to women's beach volleyball semifinals

LONDON -- They call her "Six Feet of Sunshine," but at night in London, the smile disappears and Kerri Walsh Jennings turns downright fierce.

She did it again yesterday, when she and Misty May-Treanor beat Italy in straight sets to advance to tomorrow's semifinals in the Olympic beach volleyball tournament.

"I don't want to let our opponents breathe. I don't want to give them an edge. I don't want them to feel comfortable for one second out there," she said after the win. "You need to have that cutthroat mentality. Not mean and not, 'I want to hurt you.' It's: 'I respectfully want to beat you and give you my best game.' Crush you, yes. Not your soul. Just you, on the court."

The Americans have been crushing opponents for three Olympiads, sweeping to the gold medals in Athens and Beijing without even losing a set -- 32 in a row over 16 Olympic matches. That straight-set streak was snapped Wednesday, though, and the two-time defending champions had previously shown signs of weakness.

They lost in Moscow to China in June, then lost in straight sets in Rome to Marta Menegatti and Greta Cicolari, the same Italian pair they met in the quarterfinals last night.

"I think we're a different team. We sold the old team and we bought a new team," May-Treanor said after winning 21-13, 21-13 in a match so dominant it brought out tears from Menegatti during a changeover. "She was probably like, 'I don't know what to do.' And that's how you get teams in trouble."

Menegatti, 21, said she grew up idolizing May-Treanor.

The Italians have been playing together for only three years, and their goal had been to qualify for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

"She's a young player, and she'll learn" to control her emotions, May-Treanor said. "She has no reason to hold her head down whatsoever."

In the other quarterfinals, the No. 2 U.S. women's team of Jennifer Kessy and April Ross beat Czechs Marketa Slukova and Kristyna Kolokova. Kessy and Ross will play reigning world champions Juliana and Larissa of Brazil.

May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings will play China's Xue Chen and Zhang Xi, who won the bronze medal in 2008 and beat Walsh Jennings and May-Treanor three consecutive times.-- AP