Melissa Humana-Paredes

Melissa Humana-Paredes (born October 10, 1992) is a female Canadian beach volleyball player, who is partnered with Sarah Pavan.[1] She plays as a left-side defender.[2] The pair won the women's gold medal at the 2019 Beach Volleyball World Championships.[3]

Melissa Humana-Paredes
Melissa Humana-Paredes at 2019 Beach Volleyball World Championships
Personal information
Full nameMelissa Humana-Paredes
NationalityCanadian
Born (1992-10-10) October 10, 1992
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
HometownToronto, Ontario, Canada
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight63 kg (139 lb)
College(s)York University
Beach volleyball information
Current teammate
Years Teammate
2016– Sarah Pavan
Previous teammates
Years Teammate
2012–16 Taylor Pischke
Honours
Representing  Canada
World Championships
2019 HamburgBeach
FIVB BVB World Tour
2019 ViennaBeach
2019 EdmontonBeach
2019 ItapemaBeach
2018 Las VegasBeach
2018 XiamenBeach
2018 GstaadBeach
2017 OlsztynBeach
2017 GstaadBeach
2017 PorecBeach
2017 Rio de JaneiroBeach
Commonwealth Games
2018 Gold CoastBeach
AVP Pro BVB Tour
2019 HawaiiBeach
2019 Manhattan BeachBeach
2019 Huntington BeachBeach
U21 World Championships
2011 Halifax Beach

Early life

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Humana-Paredes is the younger daughter of two Chilean expatriates, ballet dancer Myriam Paredes and volleyball player Hernán Humaña, who was part of the national team and later coached Canadians John Child and Mark Heese to the bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics.[4] Humana-Paredes started playing beach volleyball at the age of 12 and four years later, was already representing Canada internationally. She also played competitive indoor volleyball for Storm Volleyball. She then attended York University, majoring in communications while playing with the York Lions volleyball team for four seasons from 2010 to 2014.[5][6][7]

Volleyball career

In 2011, she won a silver medal at the FIVB Beach Volleyball U21 World Championships with Victoria Altomare.[8] Years later, as Hernan talked with volleyball coach Garth Pischke, he learned his daughter Taylor wanted to join the beach volleyball scene and suggested that the two daughters be joined as a team. Both were trained by John Child.[9] The new pair led Humana-Paredes to win the bronze medal at the World Under-23 Championships and be named the top female rookie in 2015 by the International Federation of Volleyball.

Humana-Paredes competed at several Grand Slam and World Cup events, reaching the round of 16 at the 2015 Beach Volleyball World Championships[9] and the semi-finals at the 2015 Pan American Games.[10] From August 23–28, 2016, she competed with Pischke at the Long Beach, California, Grand Slam.[11] Playing in Pool-A, they lost to Maria Antonelli and Lili of Brazil (21–11, 23–21), and April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings of the United States (21–16, 21–17) in straight sets. Playing against Carol and Ana Patrícia of Brazil, they won in straight sets (21–19, 26–24), placing them in 3rd in Pool-A.

Humana-Paredes and Pavan won the gold medal at the 2019 Beach Volleyball World Championships, defeating the American team of April Ross and Alix Klineman in straight-sets 2-0 (23-21, 23-21); for Canada's first medal ever at the event. This victory automatically qualified the Canadian pair for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.[3] They achieved further success on the FIVB tour that summer with additional tournament wins at the Edmonton Open in late July,[12] and at the Vienna Major in early August.[13] These FIVB tour wins were followed by success on the AVP tour, with additional championship wins over Ross and Klineman at both the Manhattan Beach Open in mid-August[14] and the Hawaii Open in late September.[15]

Accolades
  • Champion, 2019 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships - Hamburg (representing Canada, with Sarah Pavan)
  • Champion, 2019 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Winner (representing Canada, with Sarah Pavan)
  • FIVB Team of the Year 2019 (with Sarah Pavan)
  • FIVB Best Defensive Player, 2019
  • FIVB Best Setter, 2018 & 2019
  • AVP Best Defensive Player, 2019
  • AVP Newcomer of the Year, 2019
  • FIVB Most Improved Player, 2017
  • FIVB Top Rookie, 2014

References
  1. Canada's Sarah Pavan, Heather Bansley part ways
  2. "Players Details: Melissa Humana-Paredes". Beach Volleyball Major Series. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  3. Couto, Melissa (July 6, 2019). "Canada earns spot in Olympics as Pavan, Humana-Paredes take beach volleyball gold". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  4. La hija de chilenos que defiende a Canadá y brilla en Toronto (in Spanish)
  5. "Canadians make the most of their time on the beach". thestar.com. July 13, 2015.
  6. "Melissa Humana-Paredes is York U's 2015 Pan Am hopeful in beach volleyball". York University. June 2, 2015.
  7. "York honours four seniors after final home game". York Lions. February 9, 2014.
  8. Canadian beach volleyball pair of Melissa Humana-Paredes, Taylor Pischke threat to win at Pan Am Games — and for years to come
  9. Volleyball lineage flows through Canada’s budding beach duo
  10. Pischke and Humana-Paredes the future of Canadian beach volleyball
  11. Team Profile
  12. "Canadians Melissa Humana Paredes, Sarah Pavan win major beach volleyball event in Edmonton". Global News. The Canadian Press. July 21, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  13. "Golden again: Sarah Pavan, Melissa Humana-Paredes top podium at Vienna Major". CBC Sports. CBC. July 6, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  14. Zupke, Curtis (August 18, 2019). "Canadian duo Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes take Manhattan Beach Open title". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  15. Mewhirter, Travis (September 23, 2019). "AVP Hawai'i: Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan have earned their Mai Tais". VolleyballMag.com. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
 Larissa França and
Talita Antunes (BRA)		 Women's FIVB Beach World Tour Winner
alongside Sarah Pavan
2019		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
 Laura Ludwig & Kira Walkenhorst (GER)		 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Champions
alongside Sarah Pavan
2019		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Awards
Preceded by
 Heather Bansley (CAN)		 Women's FIVB World Tour "Best Defensive Player"
2019		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
 Larissa França (BRA)		 Women's FIVB World Tour "Best Setter"
2019		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Sara Hughes		 Women's AVP Tour "Best Defensive Player"
2019		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Maria Clara Salgado		 Women's AVP Tour "Newcomer of the Year"
2019		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
 Joana Heidrich (SUI)		 Women's FIVB World Tour "Most Improved Player"
2017		 Succeeded by
 Mariafe Artacho del Solar (AUS)
Preceded by
 Kira Walkenhorst (GER)		 Women's FIVB World Tour "Top Rookie"
2014		 Succeeded by
 Taru Lahti (FIN)
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