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Metzger-Williams Win AVP Boulder Event

The victory is the pair's first on tour.

July 7, 2008

Former UCLA volleyball All-Americans Mark Williams and Stein Metzger won the AVP Boulder event Saturday, capturing their first beach title as a team.

Williams-Metzger defeated Anthony Medel and Fred Souza 21-17, 21-15 in front of a large, enthusiastic crowd and a national TV audience watching on NBC.

In game one, the teams played relatively even and the score remained close. Following a 15-10 timeout with Metzger and Williams in the lead, the favorites controlled the momentum with big plays. Williams made a few big blocks and a great kill that shanked off of Medel.

From that point on, Medel and Souza couldn't recover. To make matters worse, at 19-14 Medel drew a yellow card. The first game ended after Williams dinked the ball over Souza's block and out of Medel's reach. The final score was 21-17.

In game two, Medel and Souza won the first point on Souza's vertical spike. The teams dazzled the crowd with several outstanding defensive plays and rallies. However, despite their efforts, Medel and Souza could not sustain the consistent play needed to defeat the veteran pair.

Before this weekend, Williams and Metzger were close to ending their partnership. They had hit a slump and were considering returning to their previous partners. After mulling it over, they decided to stick with each other.

"Prior to this weekend, we made a commitment to play with each other for the rest of the season... the first tournament after we decided that, we win!" said Metzger. "Talk about getting a sign from above that you should play together!"

Entering the championship, Williams said that the team's game plan was to neutralize the opposition's serving by receiving the serve with control and producing side outs.

"We wanted to aim our serves, alternating between Anthony and Fred until one made a mistake. Then we'd keep serving to that person and wear him down," added Metzger.

Their game plan worked overall. "Winning on a nationally televised network is a tremendous experience. This win feels great because it gives us confidence. Not only can we make it to the finals, but we can win a title," explained Williams.

The victory was Metzger's 18th as a professional and Williams' first. The pair split the winner's purse of $25,000.