Misty May-Treanor Biography

Misty May-Treanor and her partner Kerri Walsh won gold medals in beach volleyball at the summer Olympics of 2004 (in Athens), 2008 (in Beijing) and 2012 (in London).  May-Treanor and Walsh have been the dominant beach volleyball team of their era; among other accomplishments, they went a perfect 39-0 during the 2003 season, and won 112 straight matches during the years 2007 and 2008. Misty May-Treanor grew up in California and played volleyball at Long Beach State from 1995-99. She was part of the school’s 1998 NCAA championship team and was named the most valuable player of the NCAA tournament. The next year she quit the classic six-person-per-side game in favor of professional beach volleyball with its two-person teams. She paired with veteran Holly McPeak for two years, taking fifth place at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, before teaming with Walsh for the 2001 season. The powerful pair was named AVP Team of the Year every year from 2003-2007. May-Treanor appeared on Dancing With the Stars in 2008, but ruptured her left Achilles tendon while rehearsing and dropped out of the show. Still, she bounced back to continue her volleyball career in dominating fashion. She retired after her 2012 Olympic win, telling reporters “This is my last match.”