MISTY MAY-TREANOR’S OLD HAUNTS:The girl’s back in town

Call it hometown, not home-court, advantage.

When Misty May-Treanor plays in the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Long Beach Open this weekend, it won’t be just another tournament.

No, this will be the first time AVP’s winningest female player will compete professionally in the town she lives in that’s also home to her alma mater, Long Beach State.

It’s a place filled with the memories of cavorting and clowning around with her Long Beach State volleyball teammates, and it’s the city where she got her first apartment.

Now, May-Treanor — who will play Friday with partner Kerri Walsh as they attempt to win their ninth title in their last nine AVP events — has two homes. One is Long Beach, and the other is Coral Springs, Fla. where she lives with her husband, Florida Marlins catcher Matt Treanor.

May-Treanor was part of Long Beach State’s 1998 NCAA Championship team. In fact, she was named the championship’s co-MVP. So she was glad to see the AVP tour making a stop here.

“I think it’s great because Long Beach has such a volleyball history,” May-Treanor said. “It’s nice that for once, the fans and the city of Long Beach don’t have to travel anywhere.”

May-Treanor is hardly estranged from Long Beach, though her busy schedule means she doesn’t see it much. Wednesday, she quickly rattled off a few places that she and her Long Beach State teammates frequented. Simone’s Donuts, and BJ’s Pizza were staples. Super Mex would hit the spot if the girls were craving Mexican food after a tournament, and May-Treanor was fond of the happy hour specials at Claim Jumper.

May-Treanor, who graduated from Newport Harbor High, is also thrilled to be playing in her current hometown because it means she can get a little sleep.

And not just any sleep. Good sleep.

After weeks of jet-setting between the States and Europe — where she and Walsh are attempting to qualify for the Beijing Olympics in Fédération Internationale de Volleyball tournaments — May-Treanor can finally sleep in her own bed.

“My body feels healthy,” May-Treanor said Wednesday, yawning. “I’m just trying to get used to the different time changes. I just get tired.”

Tired, indeed.

If May-Treanor and Walsh make it to the women’s final Saturday, which takes place at 1:30 p.m., it will give the May-Treanor just enough time to “come home, grab a shower, get clothes, and take off.”

She and Walsh must depart for the Swiss Alps, where they will compete in the FIVB World Championships in Gstaad. May-Treanor and Walsh, who have three first-place and one third-place FIVB finishes this season, have won the world title four times in the past seven years. They are the defending world and Olympic champions, and are currently ranked No. 6 in the world, and No. 5 in the Olympic standings.

“I liked Switzerland a lot,” May-Treanor said. “Switzerland’s cool. It’s so green, and the food’s so fresh and they’re so clean.”

USA Volleyball considers a team’s best eight FIVB finishes to determine who makes the Olympic team. May-Treanor and Walsh will continue playing in FIVB events through November.

The Conoco/Philips Grand Slam in Stavanger, Norway was the team’s international aberration from a first-place finish. May-Treanor and Walsh finished third, while fellow Newport Harbor product April Ross and Jennifer Boss took the gold, becoming the lowest-seeded women’s team (29th) to win an event.

“It wasn’t too surprising,” May-Treanor said of Ross and Boss’ upset. “They’re a very good team. I had watched them, and they were playing well through the whole tournament. It’s a little bit different level and they made the right adjustments.”

Ross, the 2006 AVP Rookie of the Year, is five years younger than May-Treanor, so they weren’t even students at Newport Harbor at the same time. But the two still acknowledge their common roots.

“If we couldn’t win, it was nice seeing another U.S. team win,” May-Treanor said. “She’s so much younger than me, I was already way out of there by the time she got there. But every time I greet her at the net, I’m like ‘What’s up Newport, woohoo!’ ”

May-Treanor, who has been in town since Saturday, said she’s been a hermit while she’s at home, but she’s venturing out tonight. She will host a meet-and-greet for fans at Smooth’s Sports Grille at 6 p.m.

“I really love Long Beach, and it’s a great city,” May-Treanor said. “They’ve really cleaned up downtown. It’s a place that people will want to come and visit.”

SORAYA NADIA McDONALD may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or [email protected].