NEW YORK -- Jennifer Boss and April Ross were so close, a few wins, a handful of points from qualifying to represent the United States in the 2008 Olympic Games while playing in a FIVB event in Moscow, Russia, earlier this month.

A second-place finish would have clinched that elusive Olympics berth and Boss and Ross would have headed to Beijing along with America's top pair of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. But the duo with the rhyming names finished ninth in the draw and, worse still for their Olympic chances, Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh took the silver medal in Moscow.

That second-place finish was good enough to clinch a trip to Beijing for Youngs and Branagh, and it dashed the Olympic hopes of Boss and Ross for another four years.

"We were proud of ourselves for what we did, staying so close," Ross said. "But losing to a team (Brazil's Maria Antonelli and Vanilda Leao) of the caliber we did sucks."

Boss and Ross had a chance to play Branagh and Youngs last weekend at the AVP Tour stop in Chicago, but fell, 18-21, 14-21, in the semifinals to earn a third-place finish. But Sunday, the two teams met again and Boss and Ross earned a matter of revenge, ousting Branagh and Youngs, 9-21, 21-13, 15-10.

"Honestly, I don't think about it as revenge," Ross said, "because it doesn't matter right now."

Boss and Ross, seeded fourth in Coney Island, beat a scrappy No. 7-seeded team of Barbra Fontana and Diane DeNecochea, 21-19, 27-25, in the semifinals later Sunday before falling to May-Treanor-Walsh in the final, 21-14, 21-15.

"We did that we had to do," Boss said. "We beat everybody to get here. We just have to beat Kerri and Misty."

They finished second this year in Charleston and twice last year -- in Seaside Heights and Miami.

The pair from California has set its focus on a different goal right now with the Olympics out of reach: winning an AVP tournament before the year is over. That's hardly a too-lofty hope. Boss, 30, and Ross, 26, are one of the best teams on the tour and in the world and they've only been teaming together for two seasons.

There's still that obstacle of May-Treanor and Walsh, though. That's why Ross pointed to San Diego, when the world's best team will be in China, as a possible event for a breakthrough.

"I really want to say that winning one with Kerri and Misty are here is a possibility, but I don't know if it is," Ross said. "That sucks to say, but what can you do?"

Last July, in just Ross's fourth international tournament, the duo won a Grand Slam event in Norway, becoming the lowest seeded team (29th) to do so in the history of the FIVB. Ross's play earned her a pair of year-end awards from both the FIVB (Top Rookie) and the AVP (Most Improved Player) in 2007.

Boss won the same most improved award in 2004 and since then has been one of the most consistent players on the tour. The duo still has not won that hard-to-get-hold-of AVP title, though. They have finished second three times and third on seven occasions.

"I think they bring a lot of fire and a lot of spice," May-Treanor said. "They're young, feisty and physical."