Sarah Pavan - Early Years

Early Years

In High School, Sarah was a Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 recruit and the top recruit in the 2004 class. She was a member of the Canadian National Team program. She was named MVP of the 2002 NORCECA Championships, including a 24-kill performance against the U.S. Youth National Team. When Sarah was 16 years old, she made her Senior National Team debut at the 2003 World Grand Prix in Italy. Sarah also starred for the Canadians at the NORCECA Zone Olympic Qualifying Tournament in December 2003, leading Canada to the semifinals. She was dominant at the 2004 NORCECA Continental Championships, leading the tournament with 100 points to pace Canada to a fourth-place finish. Sarah also played for her father, Paul Pavan, at Forest Heights Collegiate Institute, leading her team to three provincial championships (2002–04), four regional titles and county titles (2001–04). She was named the 2003 and 2004 Waterloo County MVP. Sarah played club volleyball for the Waterloo Tigers, which were also coached by her father, winning five straight Ontario Volleyball Association championships.

Even though players from Canada aren't usually included in Prepvolleyball.com's annual 100 "Senior Aces" list, Pavan was a special case, because she was recruited by a number of American universities, such as Stanford, Penn State, and Minnesota. She was #1 on the list, confirming she was the consensus top recruit for the Class of 2004.