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12/02/2015 11:00 PMWhen Michaella Pace was an up-and-coming freshman at Valley Regional, she made a list of things she wanted to accomplish during her four years of high school. One of Michaella’s goals was to play her way onto the All-Shoreline Conference First Team as a member of the Warriors’ volleyball squad. This fall, the senior setter achieved that feat.
A versatile player, Michaella began her career at right side hitter and used her height to her advantage to block shots and spike the ball. As a sophomore, Michaella started varsity and made an immediate impression by recording 335 assists primarily playing the setter’s position. For her junior year, Michaella moved back to outside hitter and had 151 kills to help the Warriors post their best record in a decade at 16-8.
In her recent senior season, Michaella was asked to switch positions once again. With her 6-foot frame, outside hitter seemed like the ideal spot for Michaella’s talents, yet she showed her selflessness by filling any role Head Coach Kathy Scott needed her to. Without hesitation, Michaella did what was best for her squad by moving back to setter and she proved one of the conference’s most dominating players. Michaella notched an astounding total of 557 assists to complement her 62 kills, 31 aces, 24 blocks, and 72 digs in guiding Valley to 15 victories, plus spots in both postseason tournaments, while fulfilling her longtime goal of making the Shoreline Conference’s First Team.
“I just wanted to do what was best for the team. It was a hard transition and I struggled a bit and you don’t get as much recognition because you are the one setting up others, but I just focused on team first,” Michaella says. “I also have a pretty unselfish nature, so it all worked out and we had a great season.”
For her career, Michaella dished out 910 assists, served 50 aces, recorded 136 digs, threw down 233 kills, and blocked 72 shots. But even though Michaella wound up becoming a fixture on the volleyball court, she didn’t initially plan to play the sport in high school. Michaella grew up playing soccer and basketball before a devastating knee injury in 8th grade changed her course. Doctors said she would never play contact sports again after tearing an ACL and meniscus, but Michaella showed her ability to adapt and made the switch to volleyball. Warriors’ Coach Kathy Scott is certainly glad Michaella made that choice.
“Michaella made tremendous growth as a player and it was amazing to watch. She has a great attitude, has become a very positive leader, and can adjust on the fly. She played several positions for us, embraced the moves because that was what the team needed, and she always put that ahead of herself,” says Scott. “She never complained about her role and she’s tough as nails. She would throw herself all over the court and turn an ankle and be in pain, but would just tape it up and get back out there, which tells you a lot about her. She’s also intelligent, a very cerebral player. Michaella knew every position on the court and would shout out instructions and order people around, make sure they were in the right position. She loves playing volleyball and loves her team and became the top setter in the conference.”
Off the court, Michaella had other goals she wrote down four years ago and those have been checked off, as well. She was the prom queen her sophomore year, elected vice president of the Student Council as a junior, and is now Student Council president in her current senior year. To go along with that, Michaella is a member of the National Honor Society and also on Valley’s crew team, for which she will be a captain for the third year in a row. As a freshman, Michaella helped the Warriors finish second at the State Championship. When she’s not at school or playing sports, Michaella is an avid sailor who works as a sailing instructor in the summer.
“I’m pretty ambitious and an extremely competitive person, which I probably get from my dad, who played college football,” says Michaella, an Essex resident. “I also work really hard and I think that I’ve gained people’s respect because they see that and I always try to treat people the way I would want to be treated. In volleyball, Coach Scott asked me to take up a leadership role on the court and, by doing that for years, I think it has helped me in other areas and now it’s become like second nature.”
Michaella embraced that leadership position and was given the nickname “The General” by Coach Scott for her many positive attributes and overall knowledge of the game. This season, Michaella was also honored with the Heart of the Warrior Award for her performances in matches and effort in practice.
“She has a lot of maturity and can communicate with just a look,” Scott says. “Michaella is always helping people, encouraging them, and mentoring the younger players. She is all about the team and all about hard work. That’s why she earned the Heart of the Warrior award, which is a great accomplishment.”
As her time at Valley Regional draws closer to its conclusion, Michaella is looking to continue with volleyball in college, while studying to become a teacher with a focus on speech pathology.
“I would like to continue playing volleyball in college because I love the game—either on a team or doing intramurals,” Michaella says. “I’ll really miss my teammates and I’d like to thank Coach Scott, who helped me a lot to reach the goals I set for myself.”