THE TIMES 1993 FALL ALL-COUNTY TEAMS : May’s Touch Was Lethal for Sailors

Every day was May Day at Newport Harbor.

So dominating was Misty May, the 5-foot-10 junior volleyball player, that even before the season began, Laguna Beach Coach Mike Soylular described her as The Terminator, “because she destroys everything she touches.”

At first glance, the only distinguishing feature about May, The Times Orange County player of the year, on the court is that she wears her socks pulled up to her knees, a copy-cat tribute to a Long Beach State volleyball player May admires. She’s no great physical presence; she doesn’t swagger. But get her swinging, serving, passing or digging, and all the hoopla begins to make sense.

As much as Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn emphasizes the importance of team, he knows May is a special player with unique athletic talents, qualities and instincts.

A prime example surfaced this month, when Newport Harbor played Corona del Mar for the State Division I championship. On the brink of being swept, May didn’t single-handedly rally the troops, but she was the commander who led the charge.

With two match points against the Sailors, May played as if they were milking a 10-point lead. No one ever told May that in that situation, most athletes back off, play tentative. Not May. There she was, swinging away.

“You just can’t take away from her ability to hit everything, dig for everything,” San Jose St. Mary’s Coach Kathy Hardigan said after May orchestrated a fifth-game comeback in the State semifinal. In State tournament play, May averaged 33.5 kills through four State tournament rounds and had 36 kills in a losing effort in the final, which ranks her second in kills in the State Division I tournament.

Corona del Mar Coach Lance Stewart, after watching May help defeat the Sea Kings for the second time in a row in Sea View League play--Corona del Mar won the next two--calmly explained what makes her so lethal.

“Everyone looks at Misty and sees someone who’s a great outside hitter,” he said. “What people forget is that she’s also a great passer, server and plays great defense.”

No one forgot after seeing her in 1993, despite the fact that May was nursing injuries and didn’t play at full strength for much of the season.