After May-Treanor and Walsh won in the semifinals, recording their 107th straight win, Glenn answered a few questions about the former Newport Harbor standout who led the Sailors to a CIF Division I state title in 1994, and is now aiming for her second Olympic gold medal.
Question: What was it like to coach a player like Misty?
Answer: She came in as a freshman and was on varsity as a freshman. I have been really lucky to have the great athletes that I’ve had at Harbor. She was just a phenomenal athlete. She got second in the state in the high jump as a sophomore. She played soccer. She probably could have played tennis.
She played that too, and she is related to the Dents [Her cousin, Taylor, starred at Corona del Mar High and went on to become an Olympian and pro].
Q: When you think of Misty what comes to mind?
A: Competitive. She’s always two steps ahead of everyone else. She has a tremendous understanding of the game. Her knowledge of the game, a lot of that comes from her dad [Butch]. She’s been playing since she was very little. Her [late] mom [Barbara] and dad were both extremely competitive people. She is the ultimate competitor. She’s quiet about it, but she is very competitive.
Q: What’s your favorite Misty story?
A: The banquet after the state finals. She went up and did a dead-on Fire Marshall Bill impersonation [the Jim Carey character from “In Living Color”]. I don’t think everyone understands how funny that girl is. She is loved by all her teammates. She just made everyone feel like they belonged on the team. She would just make them feel like queen of the world. That’s a direct reflection of her parents.
Q: What’s it been like to watch her in the Olympics?
