# Beach volleyball at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament

The Women's beach volleyball event at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, was held at the Olympic Beach Volleyball Centre located at the Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Complex. The gold medal went to Kerri Walsh and Misty May who had a perfect record in the tournament, losing not a single set. The reigning champions from the 2000 Olympics, Natalie Cook and Kerri Ann Pottharst, both had new partners for Athens and coincidentally met at the last sixteen stage where Cook's team took the honours. Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede repeated their 2000 Olympic result, taking silver.

## Pool play

The 24 competing teams were split equally into six pools of four, and each team played each of the other teams in their pool a best of three set match (so that the number of pool matches, P, played by each team was 3).
The teams in each pool were ranked first through fourth based on the number of matches won, W. In the event of a two-way tie, the winning team in the head-to-head match finished ahead. In a three-team tie, the total number of points each team won and lost during all matches involving only the three tied teams were added up, and the bottom-ranked team of the three was decided by the points for to points against ratio; the other two teams were then ranked according to the outcome of the head-to-head match. The top two teams from each pool and the four best third placed teams (based on: first, matches won; second (in the event of a tie), set ratio SF/SA; and third (if there is still a tie), points ratio PF/PA) progressed through to the round of sixteen (single elimination tournament).
Two points (Pts) were awarded for each match win (W) and one point was given for each loss (L). In individual matches, all winners are shown in bold. In group tables, advancing teams are highlighted.

### Pool A

| Team | P: | W: | L: | SF: | SA: | PF: | PA: | Pts: |
| Kerri Walsh and Misty May (USA) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 126 | 83 | 6 |
| Eva Celbová and Sona Nováková (CZE) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 120 | 110 | 5 |
| Ryoko Tokuno and Chiaki Kusuhara (JPN) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 109 | 137 | 4 |
| Rebekka Kadijk and Marrit Leenstra (NED) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 110 | 135 | 3 |
August 15
| Celbová & Nováková | 2–0 | Kadijk & Leenstra | 21–19, 21–16 |
| Walsh & May | 2–0 | Tokuno & Kusuhara | 21–9, 21–16 |
August 17
| Celbová & Nováková | 2–0 | Tokuno & Kusuhara | 23–21, 21–12 |
| Walsh & May | 2–0 | Kadijk & Leenstra | 21–11, 21–13 |
August 19
| Kadijk & Leenstra | 1–2 | Tokuno & Kusuhara | 21–15, 17–21, 13–15 |
| Walsh & May | 2–0 | Celbová & Nováková | 21–17, 21–17 |

### Pool B

| Team | P: | W: | L: | SF: | SA: | PF: | PA: | Pts: |
| Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar (BRA) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 126 | 84 | 6 |
| Dalixia Fernández and Tamara Larrea (CUB) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 129 | 125 | 5 |
| Daniela Gattelli and Lucilla Perrotta (ITA) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 124 | 128 | 4 |
| Leigh Ann Naidoo and Julia Willand (RSA) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 84 | 126 | 3 |
August 15
| Fernández & Larrea | 2–1 | Gattelli & Perrotta | 21–17, 18–21, 15–10 |
| Bede & Behar | 2–0 | Naidoo & Willard | 21–7, 21–10 |
August 17
| Fernández & Larrea | 2–0 | Naidoo & Willard | 21–19, 21–16 |
| Bede & Behar | 2–0 | Gattelli & Perrotta | 21–17, 21–17 |
August 19
| Gattelli & Perrotta | 2–0 | Naidoo & Willard | 21–18, 21–14 |
| Bede & Behar | 2–0 | Fernández & Larrea | 21–14, 21–19 |

### Pool C

| Team | P: | W: | L: | SF: | SA: | PF: | PA: | Pts: |
| Susanne Lahme and Danja Müsch (GER) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 156 | 143 | 5 |
| Ana Paula Connelly and Sandra Pires (BRA) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 131 | 118 | 5 |
| Vassiliki Arvaniti and Efthalia Koutroumanidou (GRE) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 131 | 140 | 4 |
| Nila Håkedal and Ingrid Tørlen (NOR) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 132 | 149 | 4 |
August 15
| Ana Paula & Sandra Pires | 2–0 | Håkedal & Tørlen | 21–18, 21–19 |
| Lahme & Müsch | 2–1 | Arvaniti & Koutroumanidou | 21–16, 16–21, 15–10 |
August 17
| Ana Paula & Sandra Pires | 2–0 | Arvaniti & Koutroumanidou | 21–13, 21–14 |
| Lahme & Müsch | 1–2 | Håkedal & Tørlen | 21–13, 17–21, 12–15 |
August 19
| Ana Paula & Sandra Pires | 1–2 | Lahme & Müsch | 21–18, 15–21, 11–15 |
| Arvaniti & Koutroumanidou | 2–1 | Håkedal & Tørlen | 21–11, 21–23, 15–12 |

### Pool D

| Team | P: | W: | L: | SF: | SA: | PF: | PA: | Pts: |
| Holly McPeak and Elaine Youngs (USA) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 148 | 124 | 6 |
| Guylaine Dumont and Annie Martin (CAN) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 135 | 123 | 5 |
| Kathrine Maaseide and Susanne Glesnes (NOR) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 127 | 144 | 4 |
| Nicole Schnyder and Simone Kuhn (SUI) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 134 | 153 | 3 |
August 14
| Schnyder & Kuhn | 0–2 | Dumont & Martin | 16–21, 13–21 |
| McPeak & Youngs | 2–0 | Maaseide & Glesnes | 21–14, 21–14 |
August 16
| Schnyder & Kuhn | 1–2 | Maaseide & Glesnes | 18–21, 21–17, 13–15 |
| McPeak & Youngs | 2–1 | Dumont & Martin | 21–13, 12–21, 15–9 |
August 18
| Dumont & Martin | 2–0 | Maaseide & Glesnes | 21–19, 29–27 |
| McPeak & Youngs | 2–1 | Schnyder & Kuhn | 22–24, 21–17, 15–12 |

### Pool E

| Team | P: | W: | L: | SF: | SA: | PF: | PA: | Pts: |
| Okka Rau and Stephanie Pohl (GER) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 138 | 119 | 5 |
| Natalie Cook and Nicole Sanderson (AUS) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 127 | 126 | 5 |
| Tzvetelina Yanchulova and Petia Yanchulova (BUL) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 124 | 131 | 5 |
| Wang Lu and You Wenhui (CHN) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 126 | 139 | 3 |
August 14
| Rau & Pohl | 2–0 | Wang & You | 21–17, 21–18 |
| Cook & Sanderson | 2–0 | Yanchulova & Yanchulova | 21–16, 21–12 |
August 16
| Rau & Pohl | 1–2 | Yanchulova & Yanchulova | 21–18, 19–21, 13–15 |
| Cook & Sanderson | 2–1 | Wang & You | 21–19, 17–21, 17–15 |
August 18
| Wang & You | 0–2 | Yanchulova & Yanchulova | 19–21, 17–21 |
| Cook & Sanderson | 0–2 | Rau & Pohl | 10–21, 20–22 |

### Pool F

| Team | P: | W: | L: | SF: | SA: | PF: | PA: | Pts: |
| Summer Lochowicz and Kerri Pottharst (AUS) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 142 | 130 | 6 |
| Vasso Karadassiou and Effrosyni Sfyri (GRE) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 134 | 113 | 5 |
| Tian Jia and Wang Fei (CHN) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 109 | 118 | 4 |
| Mayra García and Hilda Gaxiola (MEX) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 108 | 132 | 3 |
August 14
| Tian & Wang | 0–2 | Lochowicz & Pottharst | 18–21, 18–21 |
| Karadassiou & Sfyri | 2–0 | García & Gaxiola | 21–17, 21–13 |
August 16
| Tian & Wang | 2–0 | García & Gaxiola | 21–19, 21–15 |
| Karadassiou & Sfyri | 1–2 | Lochowicz & Pottharst | 15–21, 21–15, 14–16 |
August 18
| Lochowicz & Pottharst | 2–0 | García & Gaxiola | 26–24, 22–20 |
| Karadassiou & Sfyri | 2–0 | Tian & Wang | 21–14, 21–17 |

## Playoffs
### Round of 16

August 20
| Fernández & Larrea | 0–2 | Dumont & Martin | 18–21, 19–21 |
| Lahme & Musch | 1–2 | Gattelli & Perrotta | 21–16, 17–21, 19–21 |
| Lochowicz & Pottharst | 0–2 | Cook & Sanderson | 15–21, 16–21 |
| Ana Paula & Sandra Pires | 2–0 | Karadassiou & Sfyri | 21–16, 21–19 |
August 21
| Walsh & May | 2–0 | Tian & Wang | 21–11, 21–18 |
| Arvaniti & Koutroumanidou | 1–2 | Rau & Pohl | 12–21, 21–19, 11–15 |
| Celbová & Nováková | 0–2 | McPeak & Youngs | 16–21, 16–21 |
| Yanchulova & Yanchulova | 1–2 | Bede & Behar | 21–18, 16–21, 11–15 |

### Quarter-finals

August 22
| Walsh & May | 2–0 | Dumont & Martin | 21–19, 21–14 |
| Rau & Pohl | 0–2 | McPeak & Youngs | 17–21, 17–21 |
| Gattelli & Perrotta | 1–2 | Cook & Sanderson | 16–21, 21–14, 12–15 |
| Ana Paula & Sandra Pires | 1–2 | Bede & Behar | 21–15, 13–21, 13–15 |

### Semi-finals

August 23
| Walsh & May | 2–0 | McPeak & Youngs | 21–18, 21–15 |
| Cook & Sanderson | 0–2 | Bede & Behar | 17–21, 16–21 |

### Bronze-medal match

August 24
| McPeak & Youngs | 2–1 | Cook & Sanderson | 21–18, 15–21, 15–9 |

### Gold-medal match

August 24
| Walsh & May | 2–0 | Bede & Behar | 21–17, 21–11 |

## Final ranking

| RANK | ATHLETE NAMES | COUNTRY | SEED |
| | Kerri Walsh and Misty May | United States | 1 |
| | Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar | Brazil | 2 |
| | Holly McPeak and Elaine Youngs | United States | 4 |
| 4. | Natalie Cook and Nicole Sanderson | Australia | 5 |
| 5. | Ana Paula Connelly and Sandra Pires | Brazil | 3 |
| 5. | Okka Rau and Stephanie Pohl | Germany | 8 |
| 5. | Daniela Gattelli and Lucilla Perrotta | Italy | 14 |
| 5. | Guylaine Dumont and Annie Martin | Canada | 16 |
| 9. | Vasso Karadassiou and Effrosyni Sfyri | Greece | 6 |
| 9. | Tian Jia and Wang Fei | China | 7 |
| 9. | Susanne Lahme and Danja Müsch | Germany | 10 |
| 9. | Dalixia Fernández and Tamara Larrea | Cuba | 11 |
| 9. | Eva Celbová and Sona Nováková | Czech Republic | 12 |
| 9. | Vassiliki Arvaniti and Efthalia Koutroumanidou | Greece | 15 |
| 9. | Summer Lochowicz and Kerri Pottharst | Australia | 18 |
| 9. | Tzvetelina Yanchulova and Petia Yanchulova | Bulgaria | 20 |
| 17. | Kathrine Maaseide and Susanne Glesnes | Norway | 21 |
| 17. | Ryoko Tokuno and Chiaki Kusuhara | Japan | 24 |
| 19. | Nicole Schnyder and Simone Kuhn | Switzerland | 9 |
| 19. | Rebekka Kadijk and Marrit Leenstra | Netherlands | 13 |
| 19. | Wang Lu and You Wenhui | China | 17 |
| 19. | Mayra García and Hilda Gaxiola | Mexico | 19 |
| 19. | Nila Håkedal and Ingrid Tørlen | Norway | 22 |
| 19. | Leigh Ann Naidoo and Julia Willand | South Africa | 23 |