36 | DECEMBER 9 • 2021
S
arah Calanchi left her mark on the
Novi High School volleyball program,
and not just on the stat sheet.
Her energy, enthusiasm and unending pos-
itivity will be remembered as long as her 519
digs this season that rank No. 10 all-time in
the team’s record book.
The 5-foot-1 senior was a two-year team
captain and three-year starter for the Wildcats
at defensive specialist and libero, perfect posi-
tions for her volleyball skill set.
“I’m an energetic player. I love running all
over the court,
” she said.
Novi volleyball coach Kacy Byron agreed
with that assessment.
“Sarah’s description of how she plays hits
the nail right on the head,
” she said.
“She’s also a great teammate. She was always
uplifting everyone. She even sent texts to the
coaches, thanking them for helping the play-
ers get better. This girl has a heart of gold.
”
Calanchi’s never-ending energy resulted in
910 digs during her Novi volleyball career,
along with 265 assists, 83 aces, three kills and
one block.
Her energy hasn’t been confined to the vol-
leyball court.
She’s earned three Scholar-Athlete awards
(minimum 3.25 grade-point average) from
the Kensington Lakes Activities Association.
Also, she’s a member of leadership and
recycling clubs at Novi, has just begun work-
ing with the school’s unified basketball team,
and has jobs outside of school.
Novi won its second consecutive KLAA
volleyball championship this season, but the
No. 9-ranked Wildcats didn’t get past the
regionals in the Division 1 state tournament.
There was a good reason for that.
Three of last year’s four Division 1 state
semifinalists were in the regional last month
that Novi hosted. The Wildcats lost to eventu-
al state champion Birmingham Marian in four
sets in the regional semifinals.
Novi was a Division 1 Final Four team
during the 2020-21 season, a bizarre season
because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was a never-ending season; but it was
a season of a lifetime,
” Calanchi said. “The
strangeness actually started in the summer
with having to hold team tryouts on our
school’s baseball diamond because we couldn’t
be in the gym.
”
The season started late, then Novi had to
stop playing and practicing for two weeks
and quarantine in September 2020 because of
COVID-19 infections on the team.
The Wildcats’ season was halted again in
November 2020, this time as part of a state-
wide high school sports shutdown ordered
by the Michigan High School Athletic
Association just before the volleyball state
quarterfinals because of rising COVID-19
cases across the state.
After a nearly two-month layoff, Novi beat
Ann Arbor Skyline in the quarterfinals.
The Wildcats lost to Lowell in a five-set
match in the state semifinals in Battle Creek.
“We played Lowell in Kellogg Arena, which
has a capacity of 6,200,
” Calanachi said.
“Because of COVID restrictions, there were
probably 50 people in the stands.
”
The long season and pandemic restrictions
did provide plenty of time for Calanchi to
hang out with her teammates. That was a plus.
“Our team became real close, and it showed
on the court,
” she said. “Some of my best
friends are girls who graduated last year.
”
Family and friends are very important to
Calanchi.
“I love the way Sarah treats her family and
friends. They always come first,
” Byron said.
Reuben and Debbie Calanchi, Sarah’s par-
ents, are middle school teachers in the Walled
Lake and Farmington school districts, respec-
tively. Sarah’s brother Ryan, 14, is a freshman
at Novi High School.
Sarah, 17, wants to play volleyball in col-
lege, most likely at a Division II or Division III
school, while pursuing a career in marketing
or advertising.
Her recruiting process started when she
was a sophomore.
She hopes to make a college decision in
the next couple months as she completes her
career with the West Bloomfield Township-
based Team Detroit Volleyball Club.
Send sports news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.
She Digs Volleyball
SPORTS
Novi High School coach says standout
Sarah Calanchi ‘has a heart of gold.’
STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
DEBBIE CALANCHI
RICK CUMMINGS
Sarah
Calanchi
Novi High School
volleyball star
Sarah Calanchi
goes all out to dig
up a shot.