‘Best Ever’ May Has Long Beach Thinking Title

After achieving nearly every possible personal honor last year, senior setter Misty May of Long Beach State’s women’s volleyball team has a new goal.

“I want the ring,” she said, meaning the NCAA championship ring.

And the way the 49ers are playing, May should be sizing her finger.

Last season’s American Volleyball Coaches Assn. player of the year leads a team that is 10-0 and has lost only three games in those matches.

The 49ers won a tournament at UC Santa Barbara over the weekend, and are ranked No. 1 by Volleyball magazine and No. 2 (behind Penn State) by the AVCA.

And Coach Brian Gimmillaro can’t say enough about the player he considers more than the best today.

“She’s the best setter to ever play college volleyball,” said Gimmillaro, who has coached two national championship teams and three other AVCA players of the year at Long Beach. “She’s exciting. People enjoy watching her. And that’s rare for a setter.”

In Gimmillaro’s offense, May not only sets the hitters but makes a lot of kills too.

“She can make the perfect set when she has to, but she is also a scoring threat at any time,” he said. “It’s more difficult for teams to defend.”

May agreed that her offensive skills are something the opposition has to look out for.

“With me, [opposing teams] have to keep their eye on me or I’ll get them,” she said, laughing.

In fact, May and the 49ers have plenty to be happy about.

Half of their victories have been over teams ranked in the AVCA top 25. More important to Gimmillaro, it hasn’t been simply the “Misty May Show.”

Four of her teammates were first- or second-team All-Big West selections last season, including senior middle blocker Benishe Dillard, who was named AVCA national player of the week after winning co-MVP honors at the UCSB tournament.

But this most recent tournament victory is only preparation for the one May said the team really wants to win.

“By the time the final four rolls around, we’ll be ready,” she said.

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USC’s men’s water polo team won the Southern California tournament last weekend at Newport Beach. The Trojans, ranked fifth, defeated the top three teams in the country, including No. 2 UCLA in the final, 11-7. . . . The USC and UCLA women’s soccer teams went 3-1 in last weekend’s Fila Challenge. The Bruins defeated Nebraska and Baylor. The Trojans defeated Baylor before losing to Nebraska. . . . The Bruins’ men’s soccer team is off to a 5-1 start in defense of its national championship. Weekend victories over Gonzaga, 1-0, and San Francisco, 6-0, gave the Bruins and goalkeeper Nick Rimando four consecutive shutouts.