Beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh Jennings chose not to retire alongside her long-time partner, Misty May-Treanor, after the pair won their third straight Olympic gold medal in London.
There were games left to win and records left to break.
Now teamed up with April Ross, who took silver in London with then-partner Jennifer Kessy, Walsh Jennings won her 69th beach volleyball tournament on Sunday at the AVP Milwaukee Open. This victory leaves her tied with May-Treanor for the women’s record for victories in the United States.
Walsh Jennings alone has the record for overall career victories, 118.
Since teaming in September, Walsh Jennings and Ross have won eight worldwide titles and three AVP Tour tournaments.
Ross explained to the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel how they rebounded after losing the first set to Brooke Sweat and Laurent Fendrick, the No. 2 seeded team in the tournament.
“We had to change our energy and Kerri was on it,” Ross said. “Sometimes you feel good on the inside, but you have to show it for your teammate.”
Off the sand, the U.S. women’s volleyball team earned a win of their own on the indoor volleyball court.
Playing against Brazil in the second match of the USA Volleyball Cup, the American women swept all four sets.
When the two teams faced each other two years ago at the London Olympics, Brazil won 3 of 4 sets to take the gold medal, leaving the U.S. to settle for silver.
The Brazilian and U.S. teams will play each other again in Hawaii on July 11-12.