Aside from Sports Illustrated swimsuit models, Misty May-Treanor may be one of the most famous women known for displaying her skills while wearing a bikini.

Along with long-time teammate Kerri Walsh, May-Treanor is a two-time defending Olympic volleyball gold medalist (Athens 2004, Beijing 2008), is one of the most accomplished players in pro volleyball history and has become one of the most visible women athletes beyond the sands of her sport.

May-Treanor’s TV appearances include an episode of Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place, CSI: Miami, Shaq Vs. and Dancing with the Stars (during which she ruptured her Achilles tendon). Her sponsors include Nike, PepsiCo’s Gatorade, Spalding, Zamast and Nestle Foods Stouffer’s.

This week, Stouffer’s launched a marketing campaign, “Put the Two Back in Tuesdays,” that features May-Treanor and her husband, Matt, an eight-year MLB catcher who enters Spring Training on the roster of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Stouffer’s campaign is challenging couples with hectic schedules to spend Tuesday nights together by preparing Sautes for Two meals.

The 34-year-old native of Los Angeles currently is part of the International Federation of Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour. She also is in training, along with Walsh and other members of the U.S. national team, for the Summer Olympics in London. May-Walsh, who signs her autographs along with the phrase, “Dream in Gold,” spoke with Big Lead Sports about the Olympics, marketing and spending a lot of time in a bikini.

Big Lead Sports: How did the alliance with Stouffer’s come about?

Misty May-Treanor: I’m very fortunate to be partnered with Stouffer’s, and to appear with my husband Matt in this campaign. The campaign is about reconnecting couples over dinner. Especially couples with hectic schedules which don’t allow them to spend a lot of time together. When they were looking for someone to spearhead the campaign, they wanted an athlete with a busy schedule – Yep, I’m on that list. Check mark! They were looking for someone who loves to interact with people – Check mark! And then they knew I was married to another professional athlete who also has a crazy schedule. Another check mark! So then they said, ‘Let’s sit down and see what we can do.’

BLS: Are you a consumer of the product as well as an endorser?

MMT: I am. Yes. I have grown up with Stouffer’s. I’m not really sure how they knew. I think companies have ways of tracking that. [Laughs.] So they didn’t have to win me over as a consumer. The alliance is a no-brainer.

BLS: Did the 2012 Olympics factor into this at all?

MMT: My schedule is consistently hectic and I always am playing and training, so I don’t think the Olympics played a role in their decision. From my standpoint, I have been a Stouffer’s consumer for a long time, as I said, so it is part of my regimen when it comes to eating healthy and staying fit.

BLS: The campaign specifically says Tuesday, but say Kerri and you want a girls’ night out on a Tuesday. Can you change the day with Matt?

MMT: We can put the ‘We Back in Wednesdays.’ [Laughs.] But we want to put the ‘Two Back into Tuesdays.’ And I would be more than happy to cook a Stouffer’s Sautes for Two for Kerry when we go over game plans.

BLS: How does this marketing partnership fit into your overall strategy of preparing for the Olympics?

MMT: As an athlete, we burn so many calories on the playing field that we need to put well-balanced meals back into our system. As any athlete would tell you, what you put into your body will help to fuel you. So I eat Stouffer’s, add vegetables and have a nice, healthy meal.

BLS: Given your on-field attire, do you think more about how you look?

MMT: I could say I have a body by Stouffer’s. [Laughs.] I grew up wearing a bathing suit playing on the beach in Santa Monica. For a volleyball player, [a bikini] is very functional for what we do. So, really, I don’t think twice about that.

BLS: Kerri and you were an important part of the Association of Volleyball Professionals, which suspended operations in 2010 (but is currently seeking a comeback). How did that impact you and volleyball in the U.S.?

MMT: You can see the impact. Volleyball is tremendously popular around the world, and I believe that volleyball tickets at the 2012 Olympics are sold out. Kerri and I are fortunate in that we have the ability to play internationally. For certain sponsors, it does help if you play more in the U.S. Personally, we love playing in front of our family and friends in the U.S. And that hurts because a lot of my family can’t travel [to the international events]. So it’s nice when I play events in the U.S. to be in front of my family and in front of the kids who can’t get to the Olympics. Selfishly, it is nice to have one tour (FIVB) because the older you get, your training changes a little, your recovery time is different. In the past, we played tournaments in the U.S. on the weekends when international teams had time off. So it got to be tough. But Kerri and I would love to be part of a volleyball tour in the U.S. again.

BLS: Volleyball had a test run for the Olympics last August in London on Horse Guards Parade right near Buckingham Palace, where it will be played this summer. What feedback did you get from that, especially considering it took place during the riots in and around London?

MMT: Let me say first that I’ve never been outside of Heathrow Airport and am very excited to be able to see London. [Laughs.] To have it that close to Buckingham Palace will be amazing. Our sport is very big in the Olympics so I’m anticipating an enthusiastic response. The girls from the U.S. who participated [in the Olympics test run] said it was great, but also said it was one of the most hilarious things they had ever seen. Our events are usually on the beach, so you get people wearing bathing suits. Here, they were seeing people in business suits coming from work. But they would have their arms full of beer, having a great time. I think the message was, Loosen up the tie. Put on shorts and a T-shirt. I guess it depends on the weather in London, though. But we expect to do very well and have a great time.

BLS: What was more memorable: Wizards of Waverly Place or Dancing with the Stars?

MMT: A lot of the kids I meet remember me from Wizards. I was disappointed that I didn’t get magical powers on the show. [Laughs.] Dancing was more difficult. I’m not used to wearing heels; I’m used to playing barefoot, so that was tough. Also, you don’t have a chance to mess up. On Wizards, you get to do re-takes. If you mess up, no problem. You can’t do than on Dancing. And Dancing is much more physical. Plus, I was injured, so . . .  But I did have a lot of fun on both.

BLS: Looking toward the Olympics, what are the challenges of being a two-time defending gold medalist?

MMT: Kerri and I have accomplished everything you can in our sport. I wouldn’t say that we are going to London a little more relaxed than before, but we don’t have to go there to prove ourselves. That said, we still want to set marks that cannot be touched by anyone. I want to be the best, and in order to be the best you have to put in a lot of time and energy. We definitely have a target on our back being the reigning world champions. But we welcome that challenge. The world is getting better and the competition is getting tougher. And they are much younger than we are. I can call them kids. We are like the old veterans. But that means we have experience on our side.

BLS: The last time the U.S. hosted the Summer Olympics was 1996 in Atlanta, and the U.S. Olympic Committee said the next Summer Games they’d consider bidding on might be for 2024? What are your thoughts on that?

MMT: I was sad when Chicago lost to Rio in the bidding for the 2016 Summer Olympics. It would have been fun to play in the U.S. By the time the U.S. gets [the Summer Olympics] I’ll have to be a coach to participate. But I’m looking forward to the Summer Games this year, and then we’ll go from there.

PHOTOS: Jerry Lai/US Presswire; Kirby Lee/US Presswire