Beach Volleyball Star Holly McPeak Hits The Road

Holly McPeak in action. (Photo: AVP)May 7, 2009: Holly McPeak, among the top players on the Association of Volleyball Professionals tour, said she would retire from active play, effective immediately. The move comes about a month after her husband, Leonard Armato, was replaced as AVP CEO and chairman. McPeak played at an AVP Crocs Tour event on May 3 and wrote on her Web site that she was looking forward to the rest of the 2009 season. However, McPeak also wrote, "This economy is affecting everyone, and for the first time in almost 16 years I do not have a major sponsor." Her retirement comes at a time of marketing flux at AVP. KFC and Malibu Rum have signed on as sponsors, but national sponsors Jose Cuervo, McDonald's, Hilton Hotels and Nautica have left. The AVP also does not have its highest profile stars: Misty May-Treanor is still recovering from a ruptured Achilles she suffered while participating in ABC's Dancing With The Stars and Kerri Walsh is expecting a baby this month. The top players on the men's side, Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rodgers, are still part of the AVP Crocs Tour. According to AVP, McPeak held the record for most career wins from June 6, 2004 until May 20, 2007 (72), when her record was broken by Misty May-Treanor. She now stands third on the all-time list behind May-Treanor and Walsh. In 2002, she became the first woman worldwide to surpass $1 million in career earnings on both the domestic and international tours. "As a beach volleyball player, it doesn't get much better than having played with Holly." May-Treanor said in a statement. "Without Holly taking a chance on a [me as a rookie] I wouldn't be in the position I am today." Back to Home Page