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December 09, 2021 - Image 36

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 2021-12-09

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

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.

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