PAVAN Sarah

Previous teammates
Heather Bansley, Skylar Caputo (SportsDeskOnline, 01 Apr 2020)

General
COACH'S INFLUENCE
She says Scott Davenport was her first beach volleyball coach, and is solely responsible for her success on the sand. "Scott has been the only beach coach I've ever had, and I credit him entirely in my transformation into a beach volleyball player. Scott and I are very similar in how we analyse the game, and in how we communicate, so we hit it off immediately. I soaked up everything he had to teach me technically and tactically, fully understanding that I was coming into the relationship with absolutely zero beach volleyball knowledge. We respect each other very much, but challenge each other to be better, both professionally and as people, and I think that is why this has lasted for so long. We love each other like family, but we aren't afraid to call the other person out if we have to. That trust and understanding helps us get through the tough moments." (fivb.com, 22 Mar 2020)

FROM INDOORS TO THE BEACH
After failing to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London with Canada's volleyball team, she switched focus to beach volleyball. She had played against Heather Bansley at high school, and the pair eventually agreed to play together. They played their first World Tour event at the Corrientes Grand Slam in Argentina in May 2013. She continued to play indoor volleyball during this time as well, including in the Brazilian Superliga for Rio de Janeiro in 2012/13 and 2013/14 and two seasons playing for Shanghai in the Chinese professional league. She teamed up with Melissa Humana-Paredes on the sand after competing at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro with Bansley. (cbc.ca, 02 Sep 2016; fivb.org, 24 May 2013; bvbinfo.com, 11 Jul 2016; therecord.com, 09 Apr 2016; olympic.ca, 11 Jul 2016)

LIFE AFTER VOLLEYBALL
She plans to continue studying once her playing career has finished. "I always thought that I was going to go to medical school. I never thought that my volleyball career would last this long, so I prepared to take the MCAT [medical college entry exams], and then I just kept playing. I feel that medical school isn't going to happen, but I do love learning, and I do want to go back to school some day. I could see myself in naturopathic college, or something like that, but again, I'm not exactly sure when my volleyball career will be over, so I think that decision will be made when the time comes." (volleyballmag.com, 01 Jun 2017)

In 2019 she and Melissa Humana-Paredes won Canada's first ever beach volleyball world title when they took gold at the 2019 World Championships in Hamburg, Germany. (SportsDeskOnline, 01 Apr 2020; cbc.ca, 13 Jul 2019)

In 2018 she and Melissa Humana-Paredes became the first ever Commonwealth Games women's beach volleyball champions, after the event was introduced at the 2018 Games in Gold Coast, QLD, Australia. (SportsDeskOnline, 01 Apr 2020; olympic.ca, 01 Jan 2019)