Sherine Ebadi
Volleyball
1998 - History - Eleanor Roosevelt College
Sherine Ebadi’s volleyball career began the summer after her freshman year of high school. She had never played before, but she happened to be spending the night with a friend going to volleyball tryouts the next day and decided to tag along. Although she struggled at first, her coach noticed her great athleticism and selected her for the freshman-sophomore team. After her first season, Ebadi could not get enough of volleyball. All she wanted to do was play more. She immediately tried out for a team at Magnum Volleyball Club, and was thrilled when she was selected. Thus began Ebadi’s lifelong passion for the sport of volleyball.
After a successful high school career at Los Alamitos High School, Ebadi became a UC San Diego Triton. She cherishes her memories of being a student-athlete: “I loved being a Triton. I loved that the small, but passionate athletic community at UCSD supported each other.” The highlight of her time at UC San Diego was by far when her team won the National Championships. “Not many people know this, but we probably shouldn’t have won. Our team was not the tallest, the strongest, or the most athletic. To add to it, we were playing terribly in the final match. However, what our team had was fight and a never say die attitude. We refused to lose and just kept refusing to lose until we won.”
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ot only was Ebadi a crucial member of this 1997 national championship team, she was also a powerful player for her entire four years as a Triton. She is currently ranked 3rd in career assists and 7th in single season assists in the Triton record book. In addition, she was a NCAA 1st team All American. Her skills and hard work brought her team great success during her time at UC San Diego.
When Ebadi graduated from UC San Diego, her love for volleyball only grew stronger and her experiences helped her throughout the rest of her life. “I think every job I ever got, I got because of the skills I learned playing sports,” she claims. “I learned that being successful takes a lot of hard work, preparation, time, and energy. I learned that if you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough. I learned that my mind is the most powerful tool I possess and if I can conquer my thoughts, I can accomplish anything.” This passion for volleyball led her to complete three professional beach volleyball tours before choosing her current career as a coach at Southern California Volleyball Club.
Ebadi loves teaching children to play the sport she has treasured her whole life. It is extremely rewarding to pass on her extensive knowledge and skills of volleyball to children and help them grow stronger. Being a coach has also brought Ebadi many new challenges. One of the biggest challenges she faces is tailoring her coaching style to fit each student. Every individual learns and absorbs information in a different way, and it can take some time and trial-and-error before finding the best method. Ebadi constantly reevaluates her coaching techniques and works hard to make sure her team is having fun and improving. She aspires to give her students the same amazing experience she received at UC San Diego.
Alumni Spotlight is written by student-athlete Lauren Iannetta (’17), a history major from Eleanor Roosevelt College. She is a second year on the women’s rowing team. If you are interested in sharing your Triton Alumni Athlete story, please contact Danielle Boyle Melman at daboyle@ucsd.edu.
