Biography
Misty E. May-Treanor is an American professional beach volleyball player. She has earned 103 career wins, more than any other female player. Misty May-Treanor, along with teammate Kerri Walsh, have won gold medals in both 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics.
Together they have been called the greatest beach volleyball team of all time.
As a college senior, Misty May-Treanor played her first professional match on the AVP tour in May 1999.
Following graduation, May-Treanor joined the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team in the summer of 1999. She did not see this as something she wanted to pursue further, and quit soon after deciding to try beach volleyball instead. She joined with beach volleyball player Holly McPeak, who was looking to win a gold in the Summer 2000 Olympics after a disappointing 5th place finish in 1996. The pair went on to the 2000 Summer Olympics never receiving anything lower than a fifth place finish in all previous tournaments. Regardless of their seemingly tough record, they were only able to accomplish another fifth place finish.
Misty May-Treanor went on to team up with now current teammate Kerri Walsh. For two years they played only on the international FIVB tour, becoming the tours champions in 2002.
In 2003, they signed with the AVP and were named the Team of the Year after having an undefeated season at 39-0, winning eight tournaments.
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
In 2008 May-Treanor and Walsh earned their second consecutive gold medal, defeating the Chinese team in two games. They are the only beach volleyball team to repeat as gold medalist. May-Treanor was named the most outstanding player for the women’s competition.
May-Treanor was born in Los Angeles, California on July 17, 1977. Both of her parents, Butch and Barbara May, were volleyball players. Butch was a member of the 1968 US volleyball team and prominent beach player, and Barbara May, was a nationally-ranked tennis player who later transitioned to beach volleyball. May-Treanor played her first volleyball tournament with her father at the age of eight. Barbara May died of cancer in 2002. She is the inspiration for the tattoo May-Treanor has on her shoulder, an angel with the initials B.M.
She has two brothers, Brack and Scott, and her first cousin is tennis player, Taylor Dent.
In January 2004, she began dating Florida Marlins baseball player Matt Treanor and the two were engaged in March 2004. They wed in November 2004.
