Misty May-Treanor came out of a three-year competitive retirement to play domestic AVP tournaments as a favor to a friend seeking a partner each of the last two months, and she might not be done.
The three-time Olympic beach volleyball champion, who had a baby and eclipsed 38 years old in her break since London 2012, lost in the semifinals with Brittany Hochevar at the AVP Championships in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Sunday.
She was asked in an on-court interview after the loss in the season-ending AVP tournament if she would play again.
“We’ll see,” said May-Treanor, who also made the semifinals with Hochevar at the AVP Seattle Open in August. “I’ve got to get in shape.”
May-Treanor is not believed to harbor dreams of making the Rio 2016 Olympics, which would be her fifth Games.
Qualification requires playing in international tournaments, which May-Treanor has not signed up for as she keeps her return to competition domestic and low-key.
Even if May-Treanor began playing international tournaments this month, there might not be enough of them for her to enter to reach the minimum of 12 events before the Olympic qualification deadline in June.
May-Treanor would not be the first U.S. Olympic beach volleyball star to play domestically long after the end of an Olympic career.
Karch Kiraly, who won Olympic indoor gold in 1984 and 1988 and beach gold in his last Games appearance in 1996, played on the AVP tour into 2007.
Holly McPeak, arguably the greatest women’s player of all time outside May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings, played on the AVP tour into 2009. McPeak won bronze at the Athens 2004 Olympics but did not make an effort to play enough internationally to qualify for Beijing 2008.
Todd Rogers, who is 41 and won 2008 Olympic gold, continued to compete this season domestically and, sporadically, internationally but has said the Rio Olympics weren’t his target.
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