McClatchy Washington Bureau

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BEIJING — Take a look at Misty May-Treanor as she sprawls in the sand for a critical dig.

Watch as Kerri Walsh's lanky arms tower over the net and devour a kill attempt.

Soak in all the celebrations and ceremonies in which the queens of the beach take part, because there might not be any more after this year.

Walsh and May-Treanor defended their Athens gold medal with a dominating run through the '08 Games, beating China's Jie Wang and Jia Tian 21-18, 21-18 in the gold-medal match. They have never even dropped a set in two Olympic triumphs.

But now, with both players having entered their 30s, Walsh and May-Treanor plan on taking an extended break in their volleyball careers to start families. May-Treanor with her husband Matt Treanor of the Florida Marlins, and Walsh with her husband Casey Jennings, also a beach volleyball pro.

They plan on taking 2009 off entirely, and their comeback plans remain vague, if they even come back at all.

"I'd like to give it a year or so," May-Treanor said, gold medal around her neck and still soaked from a rain-filled match. "I'd like to coach and teach. I'd like to get my master's. Maybe even start a beach program. But a lot of women have had children and rush to get back. But I'd like to spend time and see the child grow.

"We want to go maybe for a third. But babies first. Priorities change."

It's those future plans that made winning a gold in Beijing that much more important for the pair that has not lost a match on the beach since August 2007.

With the rain coming down and a game Chinese team playing well in front of a partial crowd, both sets were tied late.

The first was tied at 17-17, when May-Treanor had three consecutive kills to give the U.S. a 3-0 scoring run. After China stemmed the tide with a point of its own, May-Treanor ended the set with another kill, putting the U.S. one set away from gold.

The second set started much like the first, with Wang and Tian taking small leads throughout it. Tied at 18-18, May-Treanor ran down a deep dink attempt by the Chinese and followed it with a powerful kill. A hitting error by the Chinese gave the Americans a match point, and the Americans wasted no time ending the match, this time on a kill by Walsh, sending the duo into each other's arms and onto their knees in celebration.

Another win of many, but certainly not just another win.

"It's anything but predictable and routine," said Walsh, whose win was the 100th title of her illustrious career. "I think that's what makes this team so good is that we are prepared for absolutely everything."

Now comes a different type of preparation and planning. Content with careers that have featured national championships in college - May-Treanor with Long Beach State and Walsh with Stanford - and more than 200 beach titles between them, the motherhood portion of the program is on deck.

"I would like to see my husband for longer than a day and have a family," May-Treanor said. "In 2007, I saw (Treanor) for two weeks (between) February to November. The last time I saw him for a couple days was All-Star break, so that was July 17.

"The time has come, and it's going to be exciting to come home and say, 'Honey, what's for dinner?'"

There is still a tour schedule to complete this year, so the time off isn't coming just yet.

And the more you listen to May-Treanor speak, the more it seems obvious that the pair will attempt a comeback together.

Asked if another team can match their accomplishments on the beach, May-Treanor didn't answer with an "if" but a "when."

"I think it's going to be pretty hard," she said. "I think when Kerri and I come back, we can do it again."

First things first, though. Before a comeback, a departure is required.

"This is just another part of our sisterhood that we want to continue together," May-Treanor said. "We have to make a team of the future. So keep volleyball in the Olympic Games, so our kids can play together."