| Sarah Pavan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Pavan in 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname | SP, Pav[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1986-08-16)August 16, 1986 (age 39) Kitchener, Ontario, Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College / University | University of Nebraska–Lincoln | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Volleyball information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Opposite hitter[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Sarah Lindsey Pavan (born August 16, 1986) is a Canadian formerbeach volleyball and indoorvolleyball player. She was part of theCanada women's national volleyball team at the2010 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship in Japan.[3]WithMelissa Humana-Paredes, she won the women's gold medal at the2019 Beach Volleyball World Championships.[4]
Pavan played college volleyball for theNebraska Cornhuskers where she led her team to win the2006 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament, in which she was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Her collegiate accolades are numerous, and include winning theHonda Sports Award for volleyball (2007),[5] theHonda-Broderick Cup (2006–07),[6] theAVCA National Player of the Year (2006), and three times theBig 12 Conference Player of the Year (2005–07). She also won several academic awards, including twice winningESPN The Magazine Academic All-American of the Year (2007–08) and earning a degree in biochemistry with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
In beach volleyball, Pavan played as a right-side blocker.[7] After contactingHeather Bansley to find out if she knew anyone looking for a partner, she paired up with Bansley in 2013 when she changed over to beach volleyball.[8] After qualifying for the2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, the pair competed in Pool E and won all 3 matches with a 2–0 set score. For the Round of 16 match, they were paired with the other Canadian team ofBroder andValjas, which they won in straight sets of (21–16, 21–11). They lost to Germany'sLaura Ludwig andKira Walkenhorst in straight sets of (14–21, 14–21) in the quarterfinals.[9]
From September 2016 to July 2022, Pavan partnered withMelissa Humana-Paredes.[10] The pair achieved initial success on the international circuit during the2017 FIVB season by winning gold medals at the Porec Major, silver medals at both the Rio de Janeiro and Olsztyn Opens, and bronze medals at the Gstaad Major.[11] Pavan and Humana-Paredes continued doing well internationally in 2018, winning the gold medal over Australia in straight sets at the2018 Commonwealth Games.[12] As it was the first time beach volleyball was competed at theCommonwealth Games, they became the first women to win a gold medal in the sport at the competition. After this initial success, the pair competed well on the2018 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, winning gold medals at both the Xiamen Open and Gstaad Major, and finishing in fourth place at the Huntington Beach Open.[13]
During the2019 FIVB season, they won silver medals at the Las Vegas and Itapema Open competitions.[14][15] In their first AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour in 2019, they finished second in the tournament to the American duo ofAlix Klineman andApril Ross.[16] Two months later, Pavan and Humana-Paredes won gold medals at the2019 Beach Volleyball World Championships, defeating Klineman and Ross in straight sets for Canada's first medal ever at the event.[4] As the FIVB tour continued in 2019, they subsequently won gold medals at the Edmonton Open and Vienna Major,[17][18] though were eliminated in the quarterfinals of both the Gstaad Major and Tokyo Open by Klineman and Ross.[19][20] In mid-August, the duo returned to the AVP tour, reaching the finals in theManhattan Beach Open and defeating Klineman and Ross in three sets.[21]
Pavan and Humana-Paredes were named to theCanadian Olympic team for the2020 Summer Olympics inTokyo, which theCOVID-19 pandemic caused to be delayed until 2021. The two went undefeated during pool play, winning every set. Entering the knockout rounds as the top seed, they defeated SpaniardsLiliana/Baquerizo in the Round of 16.[22] In the quarter final, a rematch of the Commonwealth Games final with AustraliansClancy/Artacho del Solar, they lost two sets to one and were eliminated from the tournament.[23]
Pavan retired on October 21, 2024.[24]
Pavan has a younger sister,Rebecca, who also played indoor volleyball at theUniversity of Kentucky and for certain European clubs. She too competed for the Canadian women's national team.[25][26] Pavan has a YouTube channel, in which she and her husband Adam reviews popular volleyball anime "Haikyu!".[27] She announced her pregnancy with her first child in May 2025.[28] She gave birth to a daughter in September 2025.[29]
Commonwealth champions in women'sbeach volleyball | |
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