Misty May-Treanor

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Misty May-Treanor : biography

July 30, 1977 –

NCAA

  • NCAA Division I First Team All-American 1997, 1998
  • American Volleyball Coaches Association National Player of the Year 1997, 1998
  • Honda-Broderick Cup 1998-99

NAIA

  • Masters in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University Irvine.

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

Professional career

1999–2000: Early career with Holly McPeak

May-Treanor played her first professional match on the AVP tour in May 1999,, Beach Volleyball Database 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".

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., Beach Volleyball Database

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 ., Beach Volleyball Database

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’s volleyball destiny unfolded after she teamed up with a new partner, Kerri Walsh. 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-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.

For nearly the entire period from their initial partnering in 2001, to their respective hiatuses in late 2008, May-Treanor and Walsh 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 Kessy 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. For the 2010 season, with Walsh 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.http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/17/sports/la-sp-avp-volleyball-20100718