Originally from Toronto, Canada, Melissa is a 6-time FIVB Gold Medalist, 12-time FIVB Medalist, 5-time Canadian Champion, 2-time AVP Champion, Commonwealth Champion, and most recently, a World Champion, earning the first-ever Gold for Canada. Melissa has been a member of Team Canada for 10 years, first representing Canada when she was just 15 years old. She and her partner, Sarah Pavan, are consistently ranked in the Top 3 in the World, finishing both the 2017 and 2019 season as #1 in the World. In her first season on the AVP in 2019, her team won the Granddaddy MBO, the Hawaii Open, and she closed out the season with AVP’s Defender of the Year and Newcomer of the Year.
Melissa completed her Communications Studies degree in 2017, graduating on the Dean’s Honour roll at York University in Toronto, while also indoor. As captain of her team for three years, she was twice named OUA All-Star and the 2011 York University Female Athlete of the Year. Melissa fell in love with the sport when she was still in diapers; she grew up watching her father travel the world, coaching his team – Mark Heese & John Child – to an Olympic Bronze Medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She quickly knew this was the dream she wanted to chase, and with her partner, Sarah Pavan, they are aiming to bring back Gold for Canada at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics. Melissa loves animals, attending concerts solo, has a YouTube channel, and never leaves the house without lip balm.