Matt’s Musings: ‘Mom team’ is inspirational

HERMOSA BEACH “” Margie Walsh stood under the tent Saturday morning at the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Hermosa Beach Open.

In her hands, she had her two-month-old grandson, Joey.

Joey Jennings, the son of AVP players Casey Jennings and Kerri Walsh, didn’t know any better.

He made funny faces and looked adorable, like all babies do, with his bright blue eyes.

But Margie Walsh, Kerri’s mom, probably couldn’t help her disappointment after her daughter and Laguna Beach native Rachel Wacholder were knocked out in fifth place.

Nobody stood nearby, so Margie talked to Joey.

“There’s nowhere to go but up, because they sucked,” she said.

“We could have beaten them.”

Just a bit of exaggeration there, because babies don’t set the ball that well, but the point remains. Wacholder and Walsh had come back from childbirth to win, not to play second “” or fifth “” fiddle.

Soon, Wacholder and Kerri Walsh were done with their interviews. Wacholder brought out her four-month-old son, Koa, and Walsh greeted Joey, first telling him, “I’m sorry.”

It was the first time in 80 AVP events that Walsh failed to make the semifinals. Yet, there was nothing to feel sorry about.

Not for two new mothers who had worked their behinds off since childbirth to come back to the AVP Tour. They had everyone curious last weekend at Hermosa. Nobody knew what to expect. The AVP seeded them third, which seemed about right, even if they couldn’t quite live up to that seeding.

And yet, there was no regret at all.

“Having a child, I don’t know, it’s kind of what life’s about,” said Wacholder, whose husband, Sean Scott, teamed with John Hyden to finish second on the men’s side at Hermosa.

“For the last however many years, I’ve gotten so amped up winning and losing, and holding onto frustration. Yeah, I’m frustrated right now, but I’ll let go of it faster than I have in the past.”

Changing diapers is harder than changing sides on a beach volleyball court. But both Wacholder and Walsh were encouraged by their showing at Hermosa.

Sure, they were a step slow Saturday morning. But that doesn’t diminish Friday afternoon, when they came back for a thrilling three-game win over Lauren Fendrick and Ashley Ivy.

They then narrowly lost to the eventual second-place finishers, April Ross and Jen Kessy, in another grueling three-game match.

Walsh called it an “amazing” experience.

“I almost feel like if we could have played more matches [Friday] night, we would have done better,” Walsh said.

“I feel like we started over this morning ... We’re still finding ourselves and finding each other as partners. Everything is such a learning experience. We’re learning by the minute.”

She was asked about the team’s fifth-place finish, and she brushed it off as “nothing.”

Everything is big picture now.

Yet, starting this weekend in San Francisco, Wacholder and Walsh will continue to improve. Then maybe Joey and Koa won’t be the only ones who are smiling on the sidelines.

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or at [email protected].