Stacy Nowak was named ‘Athlete of the Day’ by the Torchbearer during the Deaf lympics 2001 which was held in Rome, Italy. In her first international match, Nowak was said to play “spectacular volleyball, placing herself all over the court. Nowak was relentless in her serves, her kills, and provided tremendous support to the Triple Towers with several blocks that thwarted the opponents’ offense”.