May grew up in California and played indoor volleyball at California State University, Long Beach, where she led her team to the 1998 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) title in her senior year. She then played for the U.S. national indoor team at the Pan Am Games, after which she decided to try her hand at beach volleyball instead. She teamed with Holly McPeak at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, finishing fifth after losing in the quarterfinals.
May-Treanor first competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and finished fifth with partner Holly McPeak. Looking for better results in future Games, May-Treanor sought out a new partner, someone she had competed against as far back as high school. Both Walsh and May-Treanor grew up playing volleyball in California, and volleyball’s tight-knit community kept the two familiar with each other’s journey through the sport.
Since retiring, May-Treanor has stayed relatively out of the spotlight. The three-time gold medalist is a mother of three and went back to school in pursuit of a master’s degree. She also picked up a couple gigs in college volleyball — including acting as the Director of Volleyball Operations at her alma mater, Long Beach College. Most recently, she joined the broadcast team on the AVP Beach Volleyball Tour.
May-Treanor was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2016. Her memoir, Misty: Digging Deep in Volleyball and Life (cowritten with Jill Lieber Steeg), was published in 2010.
| Misty May-Treanor Bio | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Misty Elizabeth May-Treanor |
| Nickname (s) | The Turtle |
| Profession (s) | Retired American professional beach volleyball player. |
| Physical Stats and More | |
| Height (approx.) | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight (approx.) | 159 lb (72 kg) |
| Eye Color | Blue |
| Complexion | White |
| Hair Color | Brown |
| Body Type | Athletic |
| Personal Information | |
| Date of Birth | July 30, 1977 |
| Day of Birth | Saturday |
| Age | 43 years |
| Zodiac Sign | Leo |
| Place of Birth | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Elementary School (s) | Brightwood Elementary School, Monterey Park |
| Roosevelt Elementary School, Santa Monica. | |
| High School | Newport Harbor High School, Costa Mesa, California. |
| College | California State University ( Long Beach State) |
| Concordia University Irvine | |
| Family Information | |
| Father’s Name | Butch May |
| Mother’s Name | Barbara May |
| Spouse | Matt Treanor |
| Siblings | Scott May Butch May, Brack May (Brother’s) |
| Children | Malia Barbara Treanor, Mele Elizarin and Mia Kanoelani. (Daughters) |
| Career | |
| Beach Volleyball | Years Teammate |
| 2011–2012 Kerri Walsh | |
| 2001–2009 Kerri Walsh | |
| 1999–2000 Holly McPeak | |
| Olympics Record | Gold medal in 2004 Athens Olympics |
| Gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics | |
| Gold medal in 2012 London Olympics | |
| World Championships | Gold medal in the 2003 Rio de Janeiro championship. |
| Gold medal in 2005 Berlin Championship | |
| Gold medal in 2007 Gstaad Championship | |
| Silver medal in 2011 Rome Championship. | |
| 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 |
