Melissa Humana-Paredes

Canadian beach volleyball player

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 (age 31)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
HometownToronto, Ontario, Canada
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
College / UniversityYork University
Beach volleyball information
Current teammate
Years Teammate
2022– Brandie Wilkerson
Previous teammates
Years Teammate
2016–2022
2012–2016		 Sarah Pavan
Taylor Pischke
Honours
Representing  Canada
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Hamburg Beach
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2022 Birmingham Beach
Gold medal – first place 2018 Gold Coast Beach
U21 World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2011 Halifax Beach

Melissa Humana-Paredes (born October 10, 1992) is a Canadian beach volleyball player, who is partnered with Brandie Wilkerson.[1][2] Humana-Paredes won the women's gold medal with Sarah Pavan at the 2019 Beach Volleyball World Championships.[3]

Early life

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Humana-Paredes is the younger daughter of two Chilean political refugees [4] 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.[5] 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 CIS volleyball for the York Lions for four seasons from 2010 to 2014.[6][7][8]

Volleyball career

In 2011, she won a silver medal at the FIVB Beach Volleyball U21 World Championships with Victoria Altomare.[9] 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.[10] 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[10] and the semi-finals at the 2015 Pan American Games.[11] From August 23–28, 2016, she competed with Pischke at the Long Beach, California, Grand Slam.[12] 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,[13] and at the Vienna Major in early August.[14] 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[15] and the Hawaii Open in late September.[16]

Humana-Paredes and Pavan were named to the Canadian Olympic team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which the COVID-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 Spaniards Liliana/Baquerizo in the Round of 16.[17] In the quarter final, a rematch of the Commonwealth Games final with Australians Clancy/Artacho del Solar, they lost two sets to one and were eliminated from the tournament.[18]

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

University

  • 2012-13 OUA First-Team All-star
  • 2011-12 OUA First-Team All-star
  • 2011-12 CIS Second Team All-Canadian
  • 2012 York Lions Female Athlete of the Year[19]

References

  1. ^ Wilkerson, Humana-Paredes: Canada's 'ultimate dream team' reunite for Olympic beach volleyball quest
  2. ^ "Players Details: Melissa Humana-Paredes". Beach Volleyball Major Series. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  3. ^ a b 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. ^ http://www.economiaynegocios.cl/noticias/noticias.asp?id=164187
  5. ^ La hija de chilenos que defiende a Canadá y brilla en Toronto (in Spanish)
  6. ^ "Canadians make the most of their time on the beach". thestar.com. July 13, 2015.
  7. ^ "Melissa Humana-Paredes is York U's 2015 Pan Am hopeful in beach volleyball". York University. June 2, 2015.
  8. ^ "York honours four seniors after final home game". York Lions. February 9, 2014.
  9. ^ Canadian beach volleyball pair of Melissa Humana-Paredes, Taylor Pischke threat to win at Pan Am Games — and for years to come
  10. ^ a b Volleyball lineage flows through Canada’s budding beach duo
  11. ^ Pischke and Humana-Paredes the future of Canadian beach volleyball
  12. ^ Team Profile
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ "Golden again: Sarah Pavan, Melissa Humana-Paredes top podium at Vienna Major". CBC Sports. CBC. July 6, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ "Canadian beach volleyballers Pavan, Humana-Paredes remain perfect, advance to quarters". CBC Sports. CBC. August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  18. ^ "Canada's Pavan, Humana-Paredes eliminated in Olympic beach volleyball quarter-finals". CBC Sports. CBC. August 3, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  19. ^ "2011-12 York Award Winners". yorkulions.ca. Retrieved June 15, 2021.

External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by Women's FIVB Beach World Tour Winner
alongside Canada Sarah Pavan
2019 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by FIVB Beach Volleyball World Champions
alongside Canada Sarah Pavan
2019 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Awards
Preceded by Women's FIVB World Tour "Best Defensive Player"
2019 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by Women's FIVB World Tour "Best Setter"
2019 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by 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 Women's FIVB World Tour "Most Improved Player"
2017 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Women's FIVB World Tour "Top Rookie"
2014 		Succeeded by
 Taru Lahti (FIN)
  • v
  • t
  • e
Commonwealth champions in women's beach volleyball