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Rio de Janeiro • The sea of yellow inside the beach volleyball arena on the shore of Copacabana chose its side. The Brazilian-heavy crowd threw out its first "Olé, Olé, Olé" when Qatari duo Cherif Younouse and Jefferson Santos Pereira clawed to within two points of the last set.
Maybe it was an underdog thing. No matter. But Casey Patterson took notice.
In a must-win second set to avoid dropping its first outing of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Qatar stayed within striking distance. Then Patterson, a 6-foot-6 former BYU indoor volleyball star who earned the nickname "Mr. Boom" during his early pro days in Puerto Rico, tried to win the Brazilians over.
Back-to-back thunderous spikes were capped off by a loud roar from the 36-year-old from Huntington Beach, Calif., who then proceeded to pop and lock. Patterson has competed in this country so many times and is so familiar with the culture that he knew a little shimmy and shake could help the crowd get behind he and teammate Jake Gibb of Bountiful and the University of Utah.
Maybe not Saturday, but perhaps next time.
"That was me deflecting back and trying to win them over," Patterson said. "Trying to be the hotter girl in the dance scene, like, 'Hey, I'm over here. I'm looking at you, too.'"
The duo had plenty of reason to dance at dusk Saturday night in Copacabana. The three-time Olympic vet Gibb and first-timer Patterson dominated the Qataris 2-0 (21-16, 21-16) in their first match of these Rio Games. After quelling a late charge from Qatar, Patterson grabbed the microphone and thanked the fans in attendance and specifically called out the Brazilians.
"You're awesome," he said.
Another brief pop and lock dance session ensued. The boisterous Patterson was not short on energy, not even after what he described as a nine-hour ordeal while participating in Friday's Opening Ceremony.
"I want them to enjoy themselves," he said. "We're playing a sport for medals out here and for pride for our country, but at the same time, there's a reason why beach volleyball is so popular here — because they love it. If you show much you love it, then it's just a great relationship. That's what I was trying to do."
The Utah-BYU duo was in control throughout its match. Only trailing briefly in the early stages of each set, Gibb and Patterson showcased what's made them one of the premier beach volleyball pairs in the world. Gibb threw up wall after wall when the Qatari team tried to spike at the net. As for Patterson, his spikes were nearly automatic throughout the evening.
Before he turned toward the crowd and danced after each point won, Patterson resorted to flexing his long arms. Gibb, the calmer presence of the two, got into it a few times, too.
"I started having fun about four years ago when I started playing with this guy," he said. "It's hard not to have fun. He's just a guy that's full of good energy, and that's really cool."
There were no nerves for Patterson in his Olympic debut. The former Cougar called the venue "a familiar surrounding" after pointing out that the DJ inside the arena is the same one used on the AVP Pro Tour. He even gave a shoutout to commentator Luke Van Valin. "That's my homie."
"I feel like I'm at home right now," Patterson said. "Home-court advantage."
Twitter: @chriskamrani —
Storylines
• Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson defeat Qatar's Cherif Younouse and Jefferson Santos Pereira 2-0 (21-16, 21-16)
• Gibb and Patterson face Austria Monday afternoon at Copacabana beach