Misty May-Treanor

Misty May-Treanor
Misty May-Treanor in 2007
Personal information
Full name	Misty Erie May-Treanor
Nickname	The Turtle
Nationality	United States
Born	July 30, 1977 (1977-07-30) (age 34) Los Angeles, CA, USA
Hometown	Costa Mesa, CA, USA
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Beach volleyball information
Current teammate
Years Teammate 2011 Kerri Walsh
Previous teammates
Years Teammate 2010 2001–2009 Nicole Branagh Kerri Walsh
Honours Women's volleyball Competitor for the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens Beach volleyball Gold 2008 Beijing Beach volleyball World Championships Gold 2003 Rio de Janeiro Beach volleyball Gold 2005 Berlin Beach volleyball Gold 2007 Gstaad Beach volleyball Silver 2011 Rome Beach volleyball Pan American Games Bronze 1999 Winnipeg Indoor volleyball

Misty Erie May-Treanor (born July 30, 1977) is an American professional volleyball player and actress. She has won more tournaments than any other female player with 107 career wins.^[1]

May-Treanor and teammate Kerri Walsh were the gold medalists in beach volleyball at both the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics. They have been called "the greatest beach volleyball team of all time".^{[citation needed]}

Early life

Misty E. May was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1977. She grew up playing beach volleyball at the Santa Monica Pier with her parents, Butch and Barbara. At age eight, she played her first volleyball tournament with her father, and played other sports like soccer and tennis, as well as participating in dance. She attended primary school at Brightwood Elementary School in Monterey Park. She also suffered from an eating disorder in her younger years.

High School

May-Treanor spent her high school years in Costa Mesa, California.^[2] She attended Newport Harbor High School from 1991 through 1995. There, she helped her team win two state championships in indoor volleyball in 1992 and 1994.^[3]

In 1993, May-Treanor was named the Division I All-CIF team Player of the Year.^[4] In 1994, she was named by USA Today as the best girl's volleyball player in the nation.^[5]

College

May-Treanor played volleyball for the Long Beach State 49ers from 1995 to 1999. The 1998 team that May-Treanor was the captain of was the first women's NCAA volleyball team to have an undefeated season. She graduated with a BA in kinesiology/fitness in 2002 and was inducted into the Long Beach State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004.^[6]

During her tenure there, she racked up numerous Big West Conference and NCAA awards and honors.

NCAA Championship

In 1998, as the starting setter, May-Treanor led the 49ers to a 36–0 record and helped them win the Division I NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship. Long Beach State became the first team to go undefeated in Division I NCAA Women's Volleyball History. In the championship game Long Beach State played Penn State, who was also undefeated entering the title match. Long Beach State won the first two games, Penn State squeaked out victories in games 3 and 4 setting up game 5. In game 5, Penn State stormed out to a 7–2 lead, but May-Treanor orchestrated one of the best comebacks in volleyball championship history, and led Long Beach State to a 15–12 win and a National Championship.^[7] She shared the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player award after setting a tournament record with 20 service aces.^[8]

In both 1997 and 1998, May-Treanor was also awarded:

• NCAA Division I First Team All-American
• NCAA Player of the Year^[9]

She also received the Honda-Broderick Cup as the top female college athlete in 1998.^[8] May-Treanor was voted as one of the top 6 players in NCAA volleyball history in 2000, and she is one of only 3 players to win back to back Player of the Year awards.

Professional career

1998–2000: Early career with Holly McPeak

May-Treanor played her first professional match on the AVP tour in May 1999,^[10] while still a college senior.

After graduation from Long Beach State, May-Treanor joined the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team in the summer of 1999, only to quit soon after because "volleyball was not fun anymore".^[11] Instead, she chose to pursue a beach volleyball career and teamed with Holly McPeak, a skilled beach player looking to win a medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics after a disappointing 5th in 1996 with partner Nancy Reno.

The pair played their first tournament together on the FIVB tour in Salvador, Brazil in November 1999. Seeded 22nd, McPeak/May-Treanor finished 9th.^[12]

Nearly a year behind in the Olympic qualification process, May-Treanor/McPeak found quick success in international as well as domestic play in the 2000 season. They won their first tournament together in April at a USAV event, followed by two wins on the FIVB tour, and one on the now-defunct BVA.^[13]

With three FIVB tournament wins and no finishes lower than 5th, the pair qualified for one of two US Olympic berths, paving their way to the Sydney Games. The duo, however, managed only a 5th place finish at Sydney.

2001 to Beijing 2008: Dominance with partner Kerri Walsh

After completing the 2000 season with McPeak, May-Treanor teamed up with Kerri Walsh. For two years, the pair avoided playing on the AVP tour, which had recently emerged from bankruptcy. Instead, the duo played on the international FIVB tour.^[14] They were the FIVB tour champions in 2002.

In 2003, May-Treanor and Walsh signed with the AVP. They received "Team of the Year" honors after having an undefeated season, going 39–0 in match victories with eight tournament wins.

Since teaming up, May-Treanor and Walsh have dominated both the AVP and FIVB beach volleyball tours. Before the start of the 2008 Olympics, they were riding a win streak of 101 matches and 18 tournaments that began in June 2007.

After Beijing

Following their gold medal victory at the Beijing Olympics, May-Treanor and Walsh returned to the 2008 AVP Tour. Their win streak of 112 matches was broken with an upset victory by fellow 2008 Olympians Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs at the AVP Shootout in Cincinnati, Ohio. May-Treanor and Walsh lost again on September 7, falling to April Ross and Jennifer Boss in the semifinals of an AVP tournament in Santa Barbara, California, marking the first time since April 2007 that the duo missed reaching an AVP tour final.^[15]

Injuries

For five years – two during college and three during her pro career – May-Treanor suffered a torn PCL that nearly led her to quit volleyball. With encouragement from her father, however, she continued playing. She actually managed to be even stronger after the recovery from the PCL reconstruction surgery.^[16] and after surgery in September 2002, has managed a complete recovery.^[14] In October 2008 May-Treanor had to prematurely exit the show Dancing with the Stars when she ruptured her achilles tendon during practice. The injury is not expected to affect her volleyball career because she was already planning to take time off.^[17]

Coaching

Since 2001, May-Treanor has worked as an assistant women's volleyball coach at Irvine Valley College in Irvine, California.^[18] She is currently a coaching staff member of the website "sportskool", where she demonstrates the proper way to block, attack, serve, and play defense in an online video.^[7]

Olympics

Then-U.S. President George W. Bush visits May-Treanor (left) and Walsh (right) at the 2008 Olympics.

President Bush plays volleyball with May-Treanor at the 2008 Olympics.

Sydney 2000

May finished in fifth place with her partner Holly McPeak the 2000 Sydney Olympics. May's abdominal strain likely kept the duo from winning a medal.^[19]

Athens 2004

The team of Misty May and Kerri Walsh won the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics by defeating the Brazilian team in the finals. In the semi-final, May and Walsh beat Holly McPeak and her partner Elaine Youngs, who went on to win the bronze medal. May and Walsh did not lose a single game in their seven matches at the 2004 Olympics.

Beijing 2008

On August 21, May-Treanor and Walsh repeated as Olympic gold medalists, defeating the first-seeded Chinese team in two games. They are the only beach volleyball team to repeat as gold medalists. May-Treanor was named the Most Outstanding Player for the women’s competition.^[20]

Personal life

May-Treanor is the daughter of Bob "Butch" May, a member of the 1968 US volleyball team and prominent beach volleyball player, and Barbara May, a nationally-ranked tennis player who later transitioned to beach volleyball. Barbara died of cancer in 2002. A prominent tattoo on May-Treanor's shoulder, an angel with the initials "B.M.", is a reminder of her mother. She has a tattoo of a flower on her right wrist. She also has a tattoo of a Roman numeral five on her lower back, five being her favorite number. After NBA star Jason Kidd was spotted in the stands at the Olympics supporting the US beach volleyball players, it was alleged that the number five tattoo is a tribute to Kidd, since he wears number 5. May-Treanor wore the number five through much of her volleyball career, though, and says she and Kidd have only met once. She has reported that she has her grandmother's initials on her arm as a tribute to her.^[21]

She has two brothers, Brack and Scott, and her first cousin is tennis player Taylor Dent.^[22]

In January 2004, she began dating baseball player Matt Treanor currently a catcher for the Texas Rangers and the two were engaged in March 2004.^[23] They wed in November 2004.^[24] May-Treanor has publicly stated that she intends to start a family, but the prospect of her return is unclear.^[25] May-Treanor shares a third tattoo with her husband that is of an M-squared.^[26] May-Treanor is listed as currently residing in Coral Springs, Florida,^[24] though she and her husband also own a home in Long Beach, California.^[27] She serves as a Sports Ambassador for Special Olympics Southern California (www.sosc.org) and previously served on the Board of Governors.

Awards and honors

College

Palm Springs University

Big West Conference

May's honors in the Big West Conference include:^[28]

• Big West Conference Freshman of the Year 1995
• All-Big West First Team 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
• Big West Player of the Year 1996, 1997, 1998
• Big West Player of the Week – 6 times

Kid's Choice Awards

• Favorite Female Athlete

NCAA

• NCAA Division I First Team All-American 1997, 1998
• American Volleyball Coaches Association National Player of the Year 1997, 1998
• Honda-Broderick Cup 1998

Professional

AVP

• AVP Best Defensive Player 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005,2006, 2007, 2008
• AVP Best Offensive Player 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002,2003,2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
• AVP Crocs Cup Champion 2006 (Kerri Walsh), 2007 (Kerri Walsh), 2008 (Kerri Walsh)
• AVP Most Valuable Player 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
• AVP Team of the Year 2003 (Kerri Walsh), 2004 (Kerri Walsh), 2005 (Kerri Walsh), 2006 (Kerri Walsh), 2007 (Kerri Walsh), 2008 (Kerri Walsh)

FIVB

• FIVB Best Defensive Player 2007, 2008
• FIVB Best Offensive Player 2005, 2007, 2008
• FIVB Best Setter 2005
• FIVB Most Outstanding 2005, 2008
• FIVB Sportsperson 2007, 2008
• FIVB Tour Champion 2002 (Kerri Walsh)

BVA

• BVA Rookie of the Year 2000^[2]

Achievements

• Most women's career tournament victories: 107
• Most women's career earnings: $1,751,408
• Most women's international career wins: 38^[2]
• 2004 and 2006 — Sportswoman of the Year Award (with Kerri Walsh)^[29]

TV and film appearances

May-Treanor appeared as a Stranger on an episode of the NBC game show Identity on April 6, 2007. Her "identity" was "born in 1977".^[30]

May-Treanor competed in season 7 (2008) of the ABC series Dancing With the Stars. Her partner was Maksim Chmerkovskiy. After May-Treanor ruptured her Achilles tendon during a training session, she and Chmerkovskiy were forced to withdraw from the competition. She underwent surgery on October 7, 2008. She also was a special guest star on Wizards of Waverly Place; the episode premiered March 1, 2009. The episode is called "Art Teacher". May-Treanor also appeared alongside her volleyball partner Kerri Walsh on the show Shaq Vs. in August 2009. On April 6 she co-hosted a game of BrainSurge and the episode will premiere sometime in 2010.

References

1. ^ BVB. Beach volleyball career leaders (retrieved on August 25, 2008).
2. ^ ^{a b c} Misty May-Treanor – Profile, Beach Volleyball Database
3. ^ Szabo, Matt (March 30, 2007). "AVP MVP gears up". Daily Pilot. http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2007/03/30/sports/dpt-avpnotbk30.txt. 
4. ^ "Three from O.C. grab top honors". The Orange County Register. December 10, 1993. 
5. ^ Osterman, David (December 20, 1994). "Misty May nationally recognized for her volleyball prowess". The Orange County Register. 
6. ^ "Athletes, Coach, Physician to be Inducted into LBSU Hall of Fame". This Week @ The Beach. California State University, Long Beach. 2004-10-18. http://www.ced.csulb.edu/news-events/story.cfm?hackid=313. Retrieved 2008-08-15. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ ^{a b} "Misty May-Treanor Bio". http://www.sportskool.com/coaches/misty-may-treanor. 
8. ^ ^{a b} "Senior setter named Honda award winner". The NCAA News. NCAA. June 21, 1999o. http://www.ncaa.org/wps/ncaa?ContentID=33026. 
9. ^ "NCAA volleyball record books" (PDF). All-America Teams and Award Winners. NCAA. http://www.ncaa.org/library/records/volleyball/volleyball_records_book/2000/all_america_award_winners.pdf. 
10. ^ Misty May-Treanor – Profile: 1999 AVP Pro Beach Tour, Beach Volleyball Database
11. ^ Pucin, Diane (October 13, 1999). "May's heart is on the beach". Los Angeles Times. 
12. ^ Misty May-Treanor – Profile: 1999 Fédération Internationale de Volleyball World Tour, Beach Volleyball Database
13. ^ Misty May-Treanor – Profile: 2000 Beach Volleyball America, Beach Volleyball Database
14. ^ ^{a b} "Misty May's fans are seeing her take the beach by storm". Los Angeles Times. April 29, 2003. 
15. ^ Associated Press (September 7, 2008). "May-Treanor and Walsh lose again, this time in the semis". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/summer/2008-09-07-2078673067_x.htm. Retrieved September 7, 2008. 
16. ^ "Firstclass". Volleyball Magazine 16. August 2005. http://www.volleyballmag.com/archive/v16i8/coverstory.html. 
17. ^ Keveney, Bill (October 7, 2008). "May-Treanor sits out this 'Dancing'". USA Today: p. D1. 
18. ^ Irvine Valley College volleyball coaching staff
19. ^ Springer, Steve (August 13, 2004). "May shrugs off abdominal injury". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2004/aug/13/sports/sp-olyvolley13. Retrieved October 18, 2008. 
20. ^ Evans, B.J.. "May-Treanor named Olympic Most Outstanding Player". USA Volleyball. http://volleyball.teamusa.org/news/article/6143. Retrieved 2008-08-22. 
21. ^ Wilstein, Steve (August 26, 2004). "Angel on her shoulder gives May a lift". NBC News. Associated Press. http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/5810592/. 
22. ^ Moore, David Leon (August 12, 2004). "Beach volleyball's dynamic duo". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/athens/volleyball/2004-08-12-beach-volleyball-portrait_x.htm. 
23. ^ Talking with pro volleyball player Misty May
24. ^ ^{a b} "May-Treanor Bio". USAvolleyball.org. http://volleyball.teamusa.org/athlete/athlete/1016. Retrieved 2008-08-17. 
25. ^ Blinebury, Fran (August 21, 2008). "Walsh, May-Treanor win gold in beach volleyball". The Houston Chronicle. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5956859.html. Retrieved August 25, 2008. 
26. ^ Buckheit, Mary (July 20, 2007). "Easy livin' with Misty". espn.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=buckheit/070720. 
27. ^ "Misty holds court in LB". Long Beach Press-Telegram. July 19, 2007. 
28. ^ "2008 Women's Volleyball Media Guide" (PDF). Big West Conference. http://www.bigwest.org/sports/wvball/release3.pdf. 
29. ^ "Sportswoman of the Year Award". Women's Sports Foundation. http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/News-And-Events/Awards/Sportswoman-of-the-Year-Award.aspx. Retrieved 2009-08-03. 
30. ^ "Identity, Episode 109: Game 14, 04/09/2007: "Misty"". Identity. NBC.com. http://www.nbc.com/Identity/episodes/season1/114/episode_109_game_14_03.shtml#recap. Retrieved 2008-10-06. 

External links

• Official site
• Misty May-Treanor at the United States Olympic Committee
• AVP profile
• Misty May-Treanor at the Internet Movie Database

Persondata
Name	Treanor, Misty-May
Alternative names	Misty May-Treanor
Short description	American Beach volleyball player
Date of birth	July 30, 1977
Place of birth	Los Angeles
Date of death
Place of death