Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross Eliminated from Gold Contention at Rio

For the first time since 2000, Kerri Walsh Jennings won't be competing for an Olympic gold medal in beach volleyball after she and teammate April Ross were eliminated by Brazil's Agatha Bednarczuk and Barbara Seixas de Freitas on Tuesday night.

It took just two sets for the American duo to be eliminated from gold-medal contention, as Agatha and Barbara defeated them by scores of 22-20 and 21-18. 

Walsh Jennings spoke with the media after the match (via USA Today's Nicole Auerbach):

These were the first Olympic Games that Walsh Jennings teamed up with Ross. She and Misty May-Treanor won three consecutive Olympic gold medals from 2004 through 2012, where they didn't lose a single match. 

Their final victory before May-Treanor retired, in London's gold-medal match, came against Ross and then-teammate Jennifer Kessy. Walsh Jennings wasted no time finding a new partner, proposing the idea of teaming up in Rio to Ross as they shook hands and hugged four years ago, according to John Branch of the New York Times.

In Rio, Walsh Jennings and Ross entered as the No. 3-ranked team and won their first five matches, dropping just one set in the process. Heading into the semifinals, Walsh Jennings' Olympic beach volleyball career record stood at 26-0.

Against Agatha and Barbara, who came into these Games ranked second, the Americans couldn't get anything going. 

A lot of their problems stemmed from Walsh Jennings' difficulty passing, as Brazil keyed in on her to record five aces. 

When the Americans were able to set up decent kill opportunities, Brazil's defense was airtight to stall any momentum. 

NBC Olympics couldn't comprehend what it was watching:

When the Brazilians weren't excelling on defense, they were dissecting the United States' resistance. Despite Agatha's overwhelming success firing sets from Barbara past Walsh Jennings at the net, the United States continued to serve to her, allowing Brazil to play its game. 

That approach made it impossible for the United States to overcome any deficit, regardless of how small it might have been. 

On such a historic night, NBC's Nick Zaccardi had to dig deep to find an image of Walsh Jennings at an Olympic event in which she lost:

The United States will now try and settle for a bronze medal on Wednesday as Ross and Walsh Jennings will meet another Brazilian duo of Larissa Franca Maestrini and Talita Rocha. 

Agatha and Barbara, meanwhile, will meet the German pair of Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst for the gold medal. 

Stats courtesy of Rio2016.com.