"To be perfectly honest, I said I'm going to gauge Kerri," Youngs said. "I saw an opening and I went for it."

Youngs and Branagh, the tournament's No. 2 seed, ended No. 1 Walsh and May-Treanor's stretch of 10 consecutive titles.

"Apparently there was an emotional letdown," said Walsh, who used her 6-foot, 3-inch frame to block a number of shots at the net. "Something wasn't there. I just feel like it was a fluke for us."

It was the third AVP title for Branagh and Youngs, and halted Walsh and May-Treanor's 39-match winning streak. The champs had been just 1-5 in finals against the duo.

"It's great to be in a final against Misty and Kerri and win," Youngs said. "They're unbelievable."

The second game was tied at 11 before Youngs and Branagh won six of the next eight points to take control. They adjusted their serves to change the momentum.

In the final game, Branagh and Youngs fell behind 7-3 early before battling back to 7-6. Neither team held more than a two-point edge until the final serve.

"She said, 'I want to serve for us (to win),'" Branagh said.

Boston's first AVP event since 1995 was played along the docks in a city a few miles south of the city and had a big Red Sox theme, in part because the team's marketing group had a big role in the event.

The event's PA announcer, wearing a green Red Sox jersey, made numerous references to star slugger David Ortiz and the 2004 World Series victory to get the near-capacity crowd to cheer louder.