When I was first approached with this assignment, my initial response was to list the top 10 Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh moments and call it a day. After all, it was the decade of Misty and Kerri, there’s no reason why I couldn’t come up with 50 insanely memorable moments they shared as a team instead of just limiting it to 10, but how exciting of a column would that be?

10) May-Treanor and Walsh win every award imaginable during end-of-season banquet for ninth straight year—including rare “Most Likely to Emerge from Massive Volleyball with Gatorade Coming Down as Rain on Forehead” award in 2006.

9) May-Treanor and Walsh win three consecutive FIVB World Championships: Rio ’03, Berlin ’05, Gstaad ‘07.

8) Walsh proves at Hermosa Beach ’09 that just more than three months after giving birth, she can take the reigning World Champions to a 13-15 third game in the quarterfinals on her first day back.

7) May-Treanor and Walsh win their 22,335th match together as a team.

You get my point.

So, as an alternative, I’ve decided to intersperse six Misty and Kerri moments with four “rest of the AVP” moments. Only, to allow even more room for the “rest of us,” I’ve elected to combine four of their six into two, shrinking Misty and Kerri’s total number to four, keeping the other six for folks who also made the ’00s better than ever. Confused? Don’t be.

Will you agree with all my picks? No chance. I wouldn’t expect you to. But this isn’t the end of the discussion. Honorable mention picks will be posted via their own thread on our Volleyball Nation message board for every beach volleyball-loving fan to visit and articulate personalized arguments to death.

I’ll start at the bottom to build much-needed suspense....

10) The Greatest Comeback of All Time—Santa Barbara 2008

It wasn’t so much the fact Phil and Todd came back from the greatest deficit in AVP finals history, 9-14 in the third set, to defeat John Hyden and Brad Keenan 20-18; it was the way they did it.

Todd starts with a sideout down the line for 10. Phil reaches three feet over the net and sneaks a block on Hyden for 11. Phil blocks Hyden again for 12, only this time into the hard angle. For 13, Dalhausser serves Keenan and Brad goes angle off the tape out-of-bounds. To tie it up, Phil serves Keenan short, forcing an errant pass, and then stuff blocks Brad’s attempt to salvage the subsequent tight set. At 14-14, Hyden/Keenan finally sideout with a smooth angle shot by Brad for 15. To tie it up again, Rogers tools Keenan out of bounds by a matter of inches to remain alive. Phil then blocks Brad for their first advantage, 16-15. And moments later, still holding the advantage at 19-18, Dalhausser serves Hyden, John hits a disgustingly sharp line hit against Phil’s angle block, Todd somehow scoops it up, but backwards off the court, Phil runs it down, dives and places it back into the center for Todd to bump it over the net high enough to give Phil time to return to the tape and stuff block Hyden for the 20th and final point of the championship. All the while, Phil and Todd laughing and enjoying themselves like a couple of kids in front of nothing but hometown friends and family.

As announcer Chris “Geeter” McGee stated during the telecast, the Santa Barbara men’s final instantly became an AVP Classic. And speaking of Geeter…

9) “Under Pressure” by Chris “Geeter” McGee—Atlanta 2009

It all started in Hermosa Beach ’04. The greatest sports emcee in history took his legendary announcing skills to another level when he introduced a segment during the championship match titled “Under Pressure.” To the tune of Queen’s classic collaboration with David Bowie, Geeter brought something even more extraordinary than his usual to the stage: a prompt monologue directed at the players competing in the final that was unlike anything I had ever heard. It was an unparalleled rant that detailed the exact type of pressure Eric Fonoimoana/Kevin Wong and Karch Kiraly/Mike Lambert were under as they vied for one of  the AVP’s most coveted titles.

That was how it all started. And when I asked around to find out which “Under Pressure” performance was the best, it ranged from Manhattan ’06, during one of the greatest finals of all time when Todd blocked Lambo late in the third set, to Long Beach ’07, when Geeter called out Rosie’s Raiders for panicking during the final frame and letting down their boy when he needed them most.

But the overall consensus for greatest performance was by far Atlanta ’09, when he informed Sean Scott of the “real” pressures inherent with taking care of his newborn son Koa. And then let John Hyden know how much pressure there was on him to not let down his daughter Sammy as she celebrated her third birthday that day. And then proceeded to bet Phil Dalhausser $100 in the players box on the Lakers/Magic NBA Finals to reverberate exactly how far the pressure of succeeding truly stemmed (Phil paid up the following week and could have used the extra hundo in winnings). And finally, he probably said something to Todd Rogers about his goatee and how much pressure there is to succeed if you’re going to sport one, but that part cannot be certain.

Geeter was in the 20th day of a 21-day cleanse and could not have been feeling it more, prompting him to inform the crowd he was no longer fat, but instead skinny fat. He did the worm and even ripped off his shirt. It was his moment. And call it what you may, but his show sparked the best comeback of the year by Hyden/Scott as they battled from 11-14 down in the third to win 19-17, finally establishing a legitimate rivalry on the men’s side of the draw and handling the pressure flawlessly.

For those of you who cannot understand how an announcer’s pump-up speech can rate as one of the decade’s top 10 moments, keep in mind that without Geeter, I firmly believe we would no longer have an AVP. He’s as much of the Tour as all the great names competing on the sand.

8) 2006 Goddess of the Beach Final at Caesar’s Palace—Misty May-Treanor vs. Kerri Walsh

Caesar’s Palace ’06 marks the only time in their careers where the two golden glove heavyweights have met mono-a-mono with a title on the line. They battled once before in a Queen of the Beach-style format in Honolulu ’04, but in that tournament Misty was selected by Annett Davis after failing to advance out of pool play.

In Vegas, both Misty and Kerri emerged from pool 3-0 with only one goal on their minds, to finally establish who the best player in the world was. The energy in the arena that night was electric. The casino sports book even saw a dramatic rise in AVP betting. There hadn’t been a match in this decade with that much personal gain attached to it before, and there hasn’t been one since.

Walsh won the right to choose first by points and decided to go with Rachel Wacholder. May-Treanor then chose Rachel’s former partner Elaine Youngs, who had spitefully split from Wacholder a month prior, adding additional fuel to the fire. As the two best women’s beach volleyball players in history battled it out on opposite sides of net with tensions flaring in all directions, Walsh emerged victorious 16-21, 21-13, 15-12.

Many of you may be saying, “Players like Misty and Kerri don’t care about the QOB. They just play it for fun.” And generally speaking you’d be right. But with this match, a far more prestigious title was on the line: the title of world’s best female beach volleyball athlete.

7) Karch Kiraly Extends Win Record with 148th Title—Huntington Beach 2005

Karch Kiraly earned $3.2 million in winnings during his career. He was a three-time Olympic gold medalist (two indoor and one beach), six-time MVP of the AVP, seven-time (AVP) Manhattan Beach Open champion and host of so many other accolades and achievements in the sport that I could take up the rest of this page and still be typing.

But his career came to a close in 2007 at age 46, somewhat anticlimactically as he injured his calf muscle during a seventh-place finish in Seaside Heights, N.J. Fortunately, what he was able to accomplish two years prior in Huntington Beach with partner Mike Lambert did more than make up for it.

In 2005, a 44-year-old Kiraly did the unthinkable and won his 148th professional tournament with a 15-21, 26-24, 17-15 victory over Sean Rosenthal and Larry Witt. Before I continue, take a second and think about winning anything at age 44, even a game of Scrabble. Let’s be honest. And then think about winning a professional beach volleyball tournament against the world’s top players.

With the way the game is now, 148 wins is most likely a record that will never be broken by another man, but may be surpassed by a certain female player who played her collegiate days in the LBC.

6) Misty’s Record-Breaking 73rd Victory--Hermosa Beach 2007

May-Treanor’s career win total now stands at 105, and as stated moments ago, I believe she will eventually surpass Karch as the winningest player in beach volleyball history. Her 73rd victory in Hermosa Beach ’07 came at the expense of Tyra Turner and Rachel Wacholder, 21-15, 21-11, officially rearranging the pecking order at the top of the women’s game as she dethroned former partner Holly McPeak.

How many tournaments Misty will win before she retires is only up to one person, Misty May-Treanor.

5) World Challenge—Brazil vs. USA 2009

The concept was brilliant, the turnout was great and the reception from both nations was exactly what beach volleyball needed.

Four men’s teams and four women’s teams from each country battled for three days in Glendale, Ariz., and the competition culminated with a men’s final that determined the overall winner. With Brazil leading 22-21 in overall points after Misty and Kerri lost for the first time since reuniting after Misty’s injury and Kerri’s pregnancy, the nation’s hopes rested on Dalhausser and Rogers to prevail against Brazil’s No. 1 duo of Alison Cerutti and Harley Marques: a level of responsibility Dalhausser took to heart.

Phil started off the match, I kid you not, with four blocks, three aces and an overpass kill. It was a performance unlike anything seen outside a certain third set in Beijing. The United States triumphed 26-22 because of Phil and Todd’s dominant 21-14, 21-15 win in the finals.

Opinions were unanimous following the event; hopefully the World Challenge will be around for years to come.

4) The Win Streaks

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh did it not once, but twice. The first win streak was entirely unprecedented and totaled 89 matches from 2003-2004. It only came to close because Misty pulled an ab muscle during the Manhattan Beach semis against Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan and did not want to further aggravate it heading into the Athens Olympics.

At the time, fans and players alike could not believe what they were witnessing. And rightfully so: what May-Treanor and Walsh accomplished was so impressive, few believed it would ever be done again.

Little did they know, Misty and Kerri would not only duplicate it, they would surpass it by 23 victories and bring the new record for consecutive wins to 112. Through sickness, injuries, fatigue and what I’m sure became eventual boredom, Misty and Kerri persevered and simply kept winning. Not to make this personal, but I can’t imagine going one weekend without a loss.

What Misty and Kerri accomplished during both streaks is so incomprehensible it’s almost impossible to fully grasp the impact of their achievements, and they can only be surpassed by what lies ahead at No. 1.

Note: Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh ended the 112-match win streak in Cincinnati a week after the Beijing Olympics in one of the most epic women’s matches of the decade. The final score of the third set was 25-23. This match and the magnitude it carried could easily reside in the top 10 moments of the decade and I apologize to both EY and Nicole for the fact that it doesn’t.

3) Blanton and Fonoimoana Win Gold—Sydney 2000

Professional beach volleyball was entirely different in the year 2000. It was more of a hybrid of the old and new than anything. There sideout scoring and the big court representing the old, and antennas, let serve and the Mikasa ball representing the new. Fortunately for Dain Blanton and Eric Fonoimoana at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, the rules and regulations in place perfectly suited their game.

Prior to Sydney, ninth-seeded Blanton and Fonoimoana had never won an international tournament as teammates, but that didn’t stop them from peaking at exactly the right moment and pulling off the biggest upset of the decade with a 12-11, 12-9 win over third-seeded Brazilians Ze Marco de Melo and Ricardo Santos.

In a time when domestic beach volleyball was in flux, Dain and Eric focused on only one goal: getting to the Olympics and standing atop that podium. And what they managed to accomplish in Sydney not only sustained the great tradition of American beach volleyball at the Olympic Games, but paved the way for 2008 in Beijing.

2) Dalhausser and Rogers Win Gold—Beijing 2008

Why do Dalhausser and Rogers get the nod at number two instead of three? Because they’re arguably one of the best teams ever assembled. They were easily the most dominant team in the world going in to Beijing and they most certainly did not disappoint, even despite a first round setback against Latvia in which Phil looked like he was still on his international flight crossing the Pacific. Fortunately, the aptly named “Beijing Beast” showed up ready to roll in the finals, putting on a show for the entire world to see. With nine blocks, mostly in the decisive third set on Fabio Luiz Magalhaes as his partner, Marcio Araujo, looked on in disbelief, Dalhausser single-handedly took over and brought the gold medal home for the United States. What Todd did was nothing short of his usual: he sided out every ball, dug everything in sight and made almost zero mistakes. All you really need to see is the third set score (15-4) from the finals to understand.

When Phil and Todd first teamed up in 2006, there wasn’t much doubt they were going to be good, especially considering Phil was notably the best blocker and Todd the best defender, but I find it hard to believe even they knew how good they would become, especially at such a meteoric rate. They currently rank fourth on the all-time wins list as a team with 45 and fourth on the all-time winnings list with more than $1.8 million, and they just finished their fourth season together. What happens next is the only thing fans and players care about. Will Todd call it an international career and not pursue a second gold medal in London, essentially placing Phil back on the market in search of, say, Sean Rosenthal? Or will Todd carry on, playing the game exactly how he’s played it his entire career, effortlessly? Either way, Dalhausser and Rogers will go down in history as one of the all-time greats, and they made this decade a special one for the United States and the AVP.

1) The Golden Girls—Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008

Not so much a moment—more like a phenomenon. But No. 1 on my list doesn’t go to the team for placing the sport on its back for the last eight years; it goes to their two golden performances at the Olympic Games. And because of those performances, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh have become so much more than just beach volleyball superstars; they have become all the wonderful things female athletics stand for.

2004’s final culminated with a beat-down (21-17, 21-11) of second-seeded Brazil in a city boasting the Parthenon as a backdrop. Athens introduced the world to the Golden Girls and put them on the map. Beijing, four years later, took it a step further and made them household names in even the most remote villages. Their impressive 21-18, 21-18 gold medal victory over the top-seeded Chinese in the pouring rain demonstrated to the rest of the globe exactly what type of resolve is necessary to not only win on the world’s most difficult athletic stage, but repeat as champions.

Universal Sports named them “Team of the Decade” just days ago, adding to their list of accolades and reiterating the type of impact they’ve had on the world of sports in the past 10 years. With back-to-back Olympic gold medals, back-to-back-to-back World Championship gold medals, 99 tournament titles and more than $3.25 million in earnings, Misty and Kerri have inspired us all. Are they aware of the kind of impact they’ve had on the world’s female youth population? I think it’s fair to say they are not, because that’s just the type of women that they are, thus making their accomplishments all the more impressive.

2012 in London is next. Yes, it’s a new decade, but my guess is the results across the pond will be old hat.