Misty May Treanor

Newport Harbor High product Misty May-Treanor and Costa Mesa resident Jake Gibb have been named USA Volleyball Female and Male Athlete of the Year, respectively, in beach volleyball. May-Treanor, 35, and partner Kerri Walsh Jennings won their third straight Olympic gold medal in London last summer. The legendary duo lost only one set and swept to a 21-16, 21-16 final victory over April Ross and Jennifer Kessy. May-Treanor led Olympic women's players in digs with 107 on 225 attempts for a 48% success rate.

Former Newport Harbor High stars Misty May-Treanor and April Ross collided in the women's quarterfinals of the $1 million Federation International de Volleyball Beach Volleyball Swatch World Championships on Friday at Foro Italico Sports Complex in Rome, Italy. May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh outlasted Ross and Jennifer Kessy, the defending event champions, 21-18, 18-21, 15-10, in a 46-minute match. May-Treanor had 18 kills, 11 digs and one ace serve, while Ross had 15 kills, eight digs and one ace. May-Treanor and Walsh are two-time Olympic gold medal winners who are now 7-0 against Ross-Kessy in FIVB matches.

Former Newport Harbor High volleyball standout April Ross finally topped another former star with the Sailors, Misty May-Treanor, in international action. Ross and Jennifer Kessy upset May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, the two-time Olympic champions, 21-16, 21-19, in the quarterfinals of the FIVB Stare Jablonki Grand Slam in Poland on Friday. The victory gives Ross and Kessy their first in international play against May-Treanor and Walsh, who are in their first season together since 2008.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — April Ross and Jen Kessy won the Huntington Beach Open two weeks ago on the Assn. Volleyball of Professionals Tour. They were seeded No. 2 then and they are the second-seeded team again at the Virginia Beach Open. Ross, the former Newport Harbor High standout, and Kessy are out to prove they can be No. 1 again. They were impressive to open their competition Saturday. They won their three matches easily to remain in contention. They'll face Rachel Scott and Elaine Youngs today with a semifinal berth on the line.

A TV reporter had a question prepared for Mark Burnette and each of his family members Monday morning near a volleyball net on the sand at Huntington Beach Pier. She started with the youngest, and cutest, Burnette, Carinne, a 7-year-old who came with her family to California from Tennessee because her Dad won a contest put on by AT&T. They were there to play a friendly beach volleyball match against a famous duo. "Is this a dream come true for you," the TV reporter asked Carinne, who smiled.

In 2002, Misty May-Treanor hit the lowest point in her career. In a career filled with so many highs, there have been very few lows. When she was 24, she was down there. It didn't have so much to do with an injury or a missed opportunity. May-Treanor said her mother's death caused her great pain and challenged her love for volleyball, she revealed in an exclusive interview with the Daily Pilot Thursday afternoon. She was in Huntington Beach to promote a contest with Arnold/Brownberry/Oroweat bread.

The Bird. Turtle. The Backstroke King. They are known as three of Newport Harbor High's greatest athletes. Newport Harbor's "Big Three" can also be known as among the best in CIF Southern Section history. George Yardley (basketball), Misty May-Treanor (volleyball) and Aaron Peirsol (swimming) are featured in the CIF Southern Section's "100 Athletes for 100 years," and represent the inaugural CIF Southern Section Athletes Hall of Fame, it was announced Monday. Each of the Sailors' athletes hold a special place in Newport Harbor's Long Gray Line, and went on to reach stardom in the NBA for Yardley, and with Olympic gold for May-Treanor and Peirsol.

UC Irvine junior Chris Kearney is the Big West Conference Player of the Year in men's tennis and UCI's Trevor Kronemann is Coach of the Year for a second straight season. Kearney earned first-team recognition in singles and doubles, while Anteaters junior Sam Gould was a first-team honoree in singles. Senior Stephen Stege, Kearney's doubles partner, also represents UCI, the two-time conference champion, on the first team. UCI's Ryan Cheung, who along with junior Fabian Matthews earned second-team doubles recognition, is the Co-Freshman of the Year.

HUNTINGTON BEACH — April Ross didn’t want to leave the winners’ podium. The former Newport Harbor High standout wanted to relish the moment, her moment, the one that, finally, belonged to her and teammate Jennifer Kessy. "I’m tearing up," Ross, a Costa Mesa resident, told a crowd of approximately 3,000 at center court Sunday, site of the Assn. Volleyball Professionals Nivea Tour Huntington Beach Open presented by Bud Light Lime. "I don’t want to get down.

HERMOSA BEACH — While celebrities tried to play volleyball under the sun on Saturday afternoon, the biggest name in the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Nivea Tour hit the ball behind the main stadium. Misty May-Treanor went relatively unnoticed while she and her partner, Nicole Branagh, warmed up. When the likes of former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield stopped punching the ball, it was time for May-Treanor and Branagh to swing away. The duo's third match at the Hermosa Beach Open looked like a sure knockout.