LOS ANGELES, October 5, 2006–Misty May-Treanor took home top honors Thursday night as MVP of the AVP 2006 season at the Players' Banquet. For the fourth consecutive year, May-Treanor and partner Kerri Walsh were voted 2006 Team of the Year. The honor of the men's Team of the Year was awarded to the CROCS Cup winning team of Stein Metzger and Mike Lambert, who teamed up for the first time this year. All of the awards presented were voted on by the athletes of the AVP.
The star of the evening was May-Treanor, who captured four titles, including the 2006 women's MVP award, Team of the Year, Best Offensive Player for the third year in a row, as well as her first award as the Best Defensive Player. May-Treanor became the first player on either the men's or women's side to win both Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year in one season.
May-Treanor's stats with her partner Walsh provide a resounding exclamation point to her unprecedented awards: This season, they became the winningest team in domestic women's history, finishing with 39 career titles together in U.S. tournaments and a single-season most 13 of 16 domestic titles; they ended the season with 35 straight victories; compiled an astounding 82-3 match record; have played in the finals 44 of 45 AVP events together; and will take a seven-tournament winning streak into the 2007 season. As an individual, May-Treanor finished in the top five in four different statistical categories in terms of per game averages: digs (fifth), kills (fifth), kill percentage (fourth) and hitting percentage (third).
"My husband told me to just say thank you and get off the stage," May-Treanor said. "I just want to say thank you to everyone including my partner and CROCS for all their support. I also want to thank my teammate Kerri Walsh. Sometimes I feel like I want to say I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but that isn't right. I want to say that, but I really mean the rest of my volleyball life."
"Misty May-Treanor is a doll and a pleasure, and I look forward to playing with her for years to come," Walsh said.
For more information about Mikasa Sports go to www.mikasasports.com.
