Misty May-Treanor
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Misty Elizabeth May-Treanor (; née May; born July 30, 1977) is an American retired professional
beach volleyball Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two to four players each on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side o ...
player. She is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, and , was the most successful female beach volleyball player having won 112 tournaments in domestic and international competition. May-Treanor and teammate Kerri Walsh Jennings were gold medalists in beach volleyball at the
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
,
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and
2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
. They also won the
FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships The FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships is the double-gender world championship for the sport of beach volleyball organized by the ' (Fédération Internationale de Volleyball, FIVB) the sport's global governing body. The first official e ...
in
2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...
,
2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
and
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. The pair set various records throughout their partnership, including a win streak of 112 consecutive matches (19 consecutive tournament titles) in 20072008, breaking their own previous record of 89 consecutive match wins. They have been called "the greatest beach volleyball team of all time." May-Treanor retired from competitive play on August 8, 2012, after she and Walsh Jennings won gold in the 2012 Summer Olympics. She was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2016.


Early life and education

May was born in 1977 in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
to Barbara (née Grubb), a nationally ranked tennis player, and Butch May, a member of the 1968
United States men's national volleyball team The United States men's national volleyball team represents the country in international competitions and friendly matches. The team is governed by USA Volleyball, and it has won six Olympic medals, with three of them gold. History As the birt ...
. She has two older half brothers, Brack and Scott. She grew up playing beach volleyball with her parents at the
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, and at age 8 teamed with her father to play in her first beach volleyball tournament. May also played soccer and tennis, as well as participating in dance. She attended primary school at Brightwood Elementary School in Monterey Park and Roosevelt Elementary School in
Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
. As a child, she was baby-sat by
Karch Kiraly Charles Frederick "Karch" Kiraly ( ; born November 3, 1960) is an American volleyball player, coach, and broadcast announcer. He was a central part of the United States men's national volleyball team, U.S National Team that won gold medals at t ...
, future national volleyball player and
United States women's national volleyball team The United States women's national volleyball team participates in international volleyball competitions and friendly games, and is governed by USA Volleyball. Their last head coach was three-time Olympic gold medalist and retired dominant be ...
head coach. In her 2010 autobiography, May-Treanor stated both of her parents were alcoholics. She also asserted her mother would at times become violent when drinking. From the age of 4 to 15, she lived with her grandparents. In 1988, her father committed to living his life sober after an automobile accident in which he struck and nearly killed a motorcyclist.


Education


High school

May grew up in
Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa (; Spanish language, Spanish for "coastal tableland") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including ...
,Misty May-Treanor – Profile
Beach Volleyball Database
attending Newport Harbor High School from 1991 through 1995. She helped her team win the state championship in volleyball in both her sophomore and senior years, 1992 and 1994. During her junior year in 1993 she was named the Division I All- CIF team Player of the Year, and the following year she was selected by ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' as the best high school girls' volleyball player in the nation. While at Newport Harbor High she also competed in
track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...
, excelling in the high jump. At the CIF California State Meet in 1993 she finished second in the high jump to future heptathlete, Tracye Lawyer. May-Treanor was later inducted into the inaugural class of the Newport Harbor High School's Hall of Fame in 2014.


College

May-Treanor played volleyball for the Long Beach State 49ers from 1995 to 1999. The 1998 team that May captained was the first women's NCAA volleyball team to have an undefeated season. She graduated with a BA in
kinesiology Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, Biomechanics, biomechanical, Pathology, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kines ...
and fitness in 2002 and was inducted into the Long Beach State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004. During her tenure there, she racked up numerous
Big West Conference The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's NCAA Division I, Division I. The conference was origina ...
and NCAA
awards and honors An award, sometimes called a distinction, is given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award may be d ...
, including the
Honda Sports Award The Honda Sports Award is an annual award in the United States, given to the best collegiate female athlete in each of twelve sports. There are four nominees for each sport, and the twelve winners of the Honda Sports Award are automatically in t ...
for the nation's best female volleyball player, and the Honda-Broderick Cup for the best overall female collegiate athlete for 1998–99, and back-to-back National Player of the Year awards in 1997 and 1998.


1998 NCAA championship

As the starting setter in 1998, May-Treanor led Long Beach State University to the Division I NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship with a 36–0 record. She shared the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player award after setting a tournament record with 20 service aces.


Graduate school

She attended
Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...
in
Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, planned city in central Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was named in 1888 for the landowner James Irvine. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the ...
to earn a master's degree in coaching and athletic administration. Her degree was conferred on May 4, 2013.


Professional career


1999–2000: Early career with Holly McPeak

May played her first professional match on the AVP tour in May 1999 while still a college senior. After graduating from Long Beach State in 1999, she joined the
United States women's national volleyball team The United States women's national volleyball team participates in international volleyball competitions and friendly games, and is governed by USA Volleyball. Their last head coach was three-time Olympic gold medalist and retired dominant be ...
. After a few months she quit the national team to focus on beach volleyball, teaming with
Holly McPeak Holly McPeak (born May 15, 1969) is an American retired indoor and beach volleyball player. McPeak was three-times an Olympian in beach volleyball. In the professional circuit, she garnered 72 career beach volleyball titles, with career earnings ...
. The pair played their first tournament together on the FIVB tour in Salvador, Brazil in November 1999. Seeded 22nd, McPeak/May finished 9th. The 2000 season saw the team of May and McPeak find success, both in domestic and international competitions. 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-defunc
BVA
May was selected as the BVA Rookie of the Year for 2000. With three FIVB tournament wins and no finishes lower than 5th, the pair qualified for one of the two US Olympic berths, a goal McPeak was looking for when she first partnered with May. At the
2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...
the pair won in the opening round and in the round of 16 before losing 16–14 in a hard-fought quarterfinal match against Sandra Pires and Adriana Samuel of Brazil. The quarterfinal loss left the team in a tie for 5th place at the
2000 summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...
.


2001 to Beijing 2008: Dominance with partner Kerri Walsh

After completing the 2000 season with McPeak, May teamed up with a new partner Kerri Walsh, playing as a defender behind Walsh's block. Rather than play on the newly reformed AVP tour, the duo spent the 2001 and 2002 seasons gaining valuable experience competing on the international FIVB tour. They won their first FIVB tour championship in 2002. In 2003, May and Walsh signed with the AVP. They received "Team of the Year" honors after having an undefeated domestic season, going 39–0 in match victories with eight tournament wins. On the 2003 international tour, May-Treanor and Walsh went 52–4 in match victories. For nearly the entire period from their initial partnering in 2001, to their respective hiatuses in late 2008, May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings dominated both the AVP and FIVB beach volleyball tours. At one point, May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings had a win streak of 112 consecutive matches and 19 straight tournaments that lasted from August 2007 to August 2008, breaking their own previous record of 89 consecutive match wins and 15 straight tournaments, set before the 2004 Summer Olympics.


After Beijing

Following their gold medal victory at the Beijing Olympics, May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings 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 Elaine Youngs (born February 14, 1970, in Orange, California) is an American former professional volleyball player who competed both indoors and on the beach. Youngs attended UCLA, where as a freshman she started on a team that went undefeated ...
at the AVP Shootout in
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. May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings lost again on September 7, falling to April Ross and Jennifer Kessy in the semifinals of an AVP tournament in
Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...
, marking the first time since April 2007 that the duo missed reaching an AVP tour final. For the 2010 season, with Walsh Jennings taking a break from competition for the birth of her second son, May-Treanor teamed up with Branagh. The two won several tournaments together, but struggled for much of the year.


Injuries

May-Treanor played much of her 2002 season with a torn PCL before undergoing surgery that September. Soon after winning her gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, May-Treanor ruptured her
achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...
during dance practice for a performance on the show ''
Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...
''. It was successfully repaired, though she did not return to competition for nearly a year.


Retirement

May-Treanor, just prior to teaming with Kerri Walsh Jennings for a third straight gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, announced that she was retiring from beach volleyball. She confirmed this shortly after the Olympics victory.


Coaching

May-Treanor was a member of the women's volleyball coaching staff at Irvine Valley College beginning in 2001, though she is no longer listed as a staff member. IVC head coach, Tom Pestolesi, was her high school volleyball coach. As of July 2016, she serves as the Director of Volleyball a
Long Beach City College
where she coaches the women's indoor and beach volleyball teams. The LBCC indoor and beach teams thrived under her leadership. In the 2016–17 season, the Vikings went 16-5 and won their first conference title in 16 years, also qualifying for the state playoffs where they made it to the second round. For beach, they were successful in their inaugural year, making it to the state finals and having one of the teams win the state title. In the 2017–18 season, the indoor team went 18-5 and again lost in the second round of playoffs. She also owns a beach volleyball club called Dream in Gold (DIG) to train the next generation of beach volleyball players.


Olympic history


Sydney 2000

Affected by an abdominal injury in her first Olympics, May finished fifth with partner Holly McPeak in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.


Athens 2004

Riding a 90-match win streak, May and Walsh continued their winning ways through the
2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...
. In semifinal play, the pair defeated fellow Americans — and May's former partner —
Holly McPeak Holly McPeak (born May 15, 1969) is an American retired indoor and beach volleyball player. McPeak was three-times an Olympian in beach volleyball. In the professional circuit, she garnered 72 career beach volleyball titles, with career earnings ...
and partner
Elaine Youngs Elaine Youngs (born February 14, 1970, in Orange, California) is an American former professional volleyball player who competed both indoors and on the beach. Youngs attended UCLA, where as a freshman she started on a team that went undefeated ...
. May and Walsh defeated Brazil in the championship match to win the gold medal. The duo did not lose a single set in all seven matches.


Beijing 2008

On August 21, May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings 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.


London 2012

May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings competed in the
2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
in London. In the preliminary round, they extended their Olympic winning streak to 32 consecutive sets without a loss with wins over Australia and the Czech Republic. The streak came to an end when they lost their first set to the Schwaiger sisters from Austria; May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings went on to win the match 17–21, 21–8, 15–10. May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings defeated fellow Americans April Ross and Jennifer Kessy in the final to claim the gold medal (21–16, 21–16).


Politics and philanthropy

May-Treanor serves as a Sports Ambassador for Special Olympics Southern California.


Personal life

May began dating professional baseball catcher, Matt Treanor, in January 2004. The two later wed in November of that year. She and her husband reside in Yorba Linda, CA. May-Treanor gave birth to the couple's first child, Malia Barbara, on June 3, 2014. The couple later gave birth to fraternal twin girls, Mele Elizarin and Mia Kanoelani, on November 9, 2017. Both May-Treanor's maternal aunt, Betty Ann Grubb Stuart, and maternal first cousin,
Taylor Dent Taylor Phillip Dent (born April 24, 1981) is a retired professional tennis player from the United States. He reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 21, winning 4 singles titles. Career Early career and back injury Dent won ATP titl ...
, were professional tennis players. In her 2010 memoir, May-Treanor revealed she had been sexually assaulted while in college, pressed charges against her assailant, and testified at the trial. A tattoo on May-Treanor's shoulder of an angel with the initials "B.M." is a dedication to her mother, Barbara May, who died of cancer in 2002.


Television and film appearances

May-Treanor has made numerous minor television appearances, including ''
Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...
'', episodes of '' CSI: Miami'', ''
Wizards of Waverly Place ''Wizards of Waverly Place'' is an American fantasy teen sitcom created by Todd J. Greenwald that aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between October 2007 and January 2012. The series centers on Alex Russo (Selena Gomez), a teenage wi ...
'', and the ''
Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...
''. In 2008, she competed in season 7 of ''Dancing with the Stars'' with partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy. May-Treanor ruptured her
Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...
during a training session for the show, and was consequently forced to withdraw from the competition. Following the 2008 Olympics, May-Treanor appeared in an episode of the Disney series ''
Wizards of Waverly Place ''Wizards of Waverly Place'' is an American fantasy teen sitcom created by Todd J. Greenwald that aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between October 2007 and January 2012. The series centers on Alex Russo (Selena Gomez), a teenage wi ...
''. On August 14, 2012, she appeared on ''
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
''. May-Treanor appeared alongside Jennifer Kessy in the season 9 episode of ''
Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, or Midtown West on real estate listings, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, ...
'' as chef's table guest in the red kitchen.


Awards and honors


College


Big West Conference

May-Treanor's honors in the Big West Conference include: * Big West Conference Freshman of the Year 1995 * All-Big West First Team (4): 1995–1998 * Big West Player of the Year (3): 1996–1998 * Big West Player of the Week – 6 times


NCAA

* NCAA Division I First Team All-American 1997, 1998 * National Player of the Year 1997, 1998 *
Honda Sports Award The Honda Sports Award is an annual award in the United States, given to the best collegiate female athlete in each of twelve sports. There are four nominees for each sport, and the twelve winners of the Honda Sports Award are automatically in t ...
1998–99 * Honda-Broderick Cup 1998–99 * NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player, 1998


Professional


AVP

* AVP Best Defensive Player (3): 2006–2008 * AVP Best Offensive Player (5): 2004–2008 * AVP Crocs Cup Champion (3): 2006–2008 (all with Kerri Walsh) * AVP Most Valuable Player (4): 2005–2008 * AVP Team of the Year (6): 2003–2008 (all with Kerri Walsh)


FIVB

* FIVB Best Defender (2): 2007–2008 * FIVB Best Attacker (3): 2005, 2007–2008 * FIVB Best Setter (1): 2005 * FIVB Most Outstanding (2): 2005, 2008 * FIVB Sportsperson (2): 2007, 2008 * FIVB Tour Champion (1): 2002 (with Kerri Walsh)


BVA

* BVA Rookie of the Year 2000


Others


Olympics

* Most Outstanding Player at the 2004/2008 Summer Olympics.


Women's Sports Foundation

*
Sportswoman of the Year Award The Sportswoman of the Year Award is given by the Women's Sports Foundation every year. This foundation recognizes both an individual and a team Sportswoman on their performance over a 12-month period. This award is given based on their new records ...
(2): 2004, 2006 (with Kerri Walsh)


Hall of Fame

May-Treanor has been inducted into the following Halls of Fame: * Long Beach State Athletics Hall of Fame (2004) * Newport Harbor High School Hall of Fame (2014) * International Volleyball Hall of Fame (2016) * Southern California Indoor Hall of Fame (2017)


Achievements

* Most women's career tournament victories: 112 * Most women's career earnings: $2,132,733 * Most women's international career wins: 43 * Record win streak of 112 consecutive matches and 19 straight tournaments that lasted from August 2007 to August 2008


References


Further reading


External links

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:May-Treanor, Misty 1977 births Living people American women's volleyball players American women's beach volleyball players American volleyball coaches Beach volleyball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics Beach volleyball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Beach volleyball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Beach volleyball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic beach volleyball players for the United States Olympic medalists in beach volleyball Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Long Beach State Beach women's volleyball players Participants in American reality television series Volleyball players from Long Beach, California Sportspeople from Orange County, California Sportspeople from Coral Springs, Florida Beach volleyball defenders FIVB World Tour award winners Newport Harbor High School alumni Concordia University Irvine alumni Olympic gold medalists for the United States in volleyball Volleyball players at the 1999 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in volleyball 21st-century American sportswomen International Volleyball Hall of Fame inductees 20th-century American sportswomen