Humana-Paredes Wins Beach National Championship
York University Lions women’s volleyball player Melissa Humana-Paredes and partner Taylor Pischke were crowned the 2012 beach volleyball Canadian champions on Sunday (Aug. 20) at Spanish Banks Beach in Vancouver.
Humana-Paredes, of Toronto, and Pischke, of Winnipeg, won a thrilling final by a score of 21-16, 19-21, 21-19 over Heather Bansley and Liz Maloney, who were the defending champions heading into the event.
Jamie Broder and Kristina Valjas took the bronze 21-19, 17-21, 17-15 over Julie Rodrigue of Quebec City and Kacie MacTavish of Sharon, Ont.
The national title is just the latest in a long list of tremendous results by the duo. In late July they won the Ontario provincial gold medal and earlier this season, they were selected to represent Canada at the under-21 world beach volleyball championships in Halifax in September.
Humana-Paredes won the silver medal at the worlds last year alongside Victoria Altomare. She was selected as York’s female athlete of the year in 2012 after earning OUA first-team all-star and CIS second-team all-Canadian honours in just her second season with the Lions.
On the men’s side, Lions incoming recruit Grant O’Gorman finished in fourth place with partner Sam Pedlow, as they were defeated in the bronze medal game 21-15, 21-19 by Christian Redmann and Ben Saxton.
O’Gorman and Pedlow had an impressive run to the semifinals, taking out 2012 Canadian Olympian Josh Binstock and his partner, Steve Gotch, in the early rounds and defeating Sam Schachter and Maverick Hatch in the fourth round.
Schachter and Hatch went on to win the gold medal in the double elimination tournament with a 19-21, 21-16, 18-16 victory over Chaim Schalk and Matt Zbyszewski in the final.
Also in the men’s draw were Daniel Dearing and Garrett May, who were eliminated in the fourth round by Schachter and Hatch, by a score of 23-25, 19-21.
Dallas Keith and his partner, Olag Kovalchuk, won the Division 2 senior championship, going undefeated in both preliminary and power pools play and then winning their pre-quarter, quarter, semi and final matches for a total of 10 matches over three days.
Story from the York Lions Website | YorkLions.ca
