Wacholder, Boss team places 2nd in New York

It didn’t take long for Rachel Wacholder and Jennifer Boss to turn in their best performance as a newly formed team on the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals 2006 Crocs Tour.

The duo, which came together earlier this month after Wacholder and Elaine Youngs ended their 18-month partnership, finished runner-up last weekend in women’s tournament play at the first-ever Brooklyn Open at Coney Island, N.Y.

Wacholder and Boss, ranked third, won four straight matches before falling to the No. 1-ranked team of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, 21-14, 21-13.

It was a record 10th AVP title this year for May-Treanor and Walsh.

Wacholder, a Laguna Beach High graduate, and Boss picked up a huge victory in winner’s-bracket play. They bounced back from a 13-21 first game loss to the No. 2 team of Youngs and Nicole Branagh to win consecutive games, 21-15, 21-13, to move on to the semifinal round.

The road to the final began with a victory over No. 30 Marla O’Hara and Lisa Marshall (21-13, 21-17). Other wins came over No. 6 Nancy Mason and Tyra Turner, whom they defeated twice, 21-17, 21-17 in winner’s-bracket play, and 21-16, 21-18, in the semifinals.

Wacholder and Boss played together for the first time Aug. 12 at the Manhattan Beach Open where they finished in fifth place.

In the men’s tournament Sunday, Dain Blanton, another Laguna Beach High graduate, and teammate Scott Lane finished tied for 17th-place. The pair, ranked 20th, posted a 1-2 record in the tournament. They were eliminated by eventual tournament runner-up, the No. 3 team of Matt Fuerbringer and Casey Jennings, in contender’s-bracket play. The top-ranked men’s team of Mike Lambert and Stein Metzger won the tournament.