All-U.S. final set for women’s beach volleyball

LONDON – With or without gold, Misty May-Treanor plans to walk away from beach volleyball for good after the Olympics. A third straight championship would make the farewell perfect.

May-Treanor and partner Kerri Walsh Jennings will go for one last title together tonight after winning all but one set during their three Olympics as a pair.

“It’s hard to see how the time’s going,” the 35-year-old May-Treanor said. “It’s like, ‘OK, the final’s already here.’ I think I’m already kind of in la-la land, focusing on tomorrow, like, ‘OK, you’ve got to get iced up, a lot of rest.’ But I’m very happy.”

The Americans are wrapping up this special tournament at Horse Guards Parade following a two-week London Games run in which they were determined to enjoy themselves at their last Olympics as a tandem. May-Treanor will retire, while Walsh Jennings plans to keep playing internationally.

They held off Beijing bronze medalists Xue Chen and Zhang Xi of China 22-20, 22-20 on Tuesday, and will star in an all-American final.

The No. 2 U.S. team of April Ross and Jennifer Kessy rallied from one set down in a steady rain to stun reigning world champions Juliana and Larissa of Brazil in a three-set night semifinal. They fell to the sand and embraced.

“I’ve got to let this sink in for a half-hour,” Ross said. “I can’t believe we’re in this position. We’ve worked so hard for it. You have no guarantee this is going to happen. … We expect to win it.”

Prime time TV

NBC (8 p.m.-midnight) – Track and field: gold medal finals in men’s 110m hurdles, women’s 200m, women’s 400m hurdles, women’s long jump. Women’s diving: platform qualifying. Women’s beach volleyball: gold medal final.