Two best friends just happen to be related Brahmas, lions and cars, oh my... She sets her goals higher than sports

SAL FARIAZ

Assistant Sports Editor @S_Fariaz

A player on the volleyball team has recorded 168 kills this season. But if you see her in a few years from now it might be on a court you wouldn’t expect.

Brahma’s outside hitter Shari Volpis may lead the team in kills and points, but her career aspirations go way beyond a volleyball court and into a court of law. She wants to be a judge.

“If she can hit the weight room a little bit in the summer and improve her jump, she has the potential to be an All-American,” head coach Nabil Mardini said. “She has the size as an athlete and she has a good arm. The sky’s the limit for her.”

Volpis was born into a family of athletes. Her father played professional basketball in Italy and her mother played tennis her whole life. From a young age Volpis found a desire to play sports.

She started playing volleyball during her sophomore year at Pacifica Christian High School in Santa Monica, Calif. She also played basketball for her four years there. It was a relatively small school with an enrollment of 239 students.

Volpis and her older sister, Shanon Volpis have shared a room their whole life and Shanon Volpis says that has made them closer than most sisters.

“We have shared a room together our whole life and that is why we are super close,” Shanon Volpis said. “She knows everything about me and I know everything about her. She’s like my twin.”

“If you ask other people they will say we are not similar but we are extremely similar,” Shanon Volpis continued. “I am a little more quiet and she says things straight off the bat but mainly I just know when to be quiet.”

Shari Volpis says that both of them are competitive when it comes to volleyball but not with each other. The sibling rivalry has never been there for them.

“We feel like my success is her success and vice versa,” Volpis said.

Volpis played for club at the Los Angeles Volleyball Academy (LAVA) where Mardini is the girl’s club director. After meeting Mardini and seeing his knowledge of volleyball she decided to come to Pierce College to play on the volleyball team for him.

“People always ask me why I drive so far to school,” Volpis said. “They ask why I don’t just go to Santa Monica College. I just tell them, Nabil.”

She is an English major with her goals set high to become a judge one day.

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MARITZA SERRANO Reporter @MSerranoRU

Shanon Volpis is a commuter student. With a heavy emphasis on commuter.

Volpis commutes around 22 miles to school from her home, yet still finds time to get everything done that she needs.

“Growing up I was made fun of alot because I looked different than the other kids, but I liked where I lived and the schools I went to were great. I think because of it I’m where I am today,” Volpis said.

Shanon Volpis still manages to be a full time student and play for the volleyball team at Pierce College.

While attending Pierce, Volpis also attends Loyola Marymount University.

“I take eight classes in total, it’s all about time management, I do not have a social life. I literally eat, sleep, play volleyball, and do homework,” Volpis said.

Sports have always came easy to Volpis. She has been playing tennis since she was four years old as both her parents were athletes. Her dad played professional basketball in Italy and her mother played tennis her whole life and throughout college.

During her high school years Volpis participated in track and basketball. Originally the coach from her high school volleyball team recruited her because she was tall.

“I wanted to play anyways because I love sports and they didn’t have a tennis team,” Volpis said.

Two years into playing for the varsity team she got a concussion. This stopped Volpis from participating in sports and affected her academic side as well.

“I was failing all my classes and I would forget things after I got the concussion,” Volpis said. She slowly recovered and started playing once again when she came to pierce.

“She’s improving and definitely helps a lot because she’s tall and takes a lot of the court up,” said assistant coach Kristin Dolan.

Volleyball is not the passion for Volpis. Instead she takes fascination in the medical field. She is a bio major and wants to go to medical school to become a doctor.

Having her family and a good support system around her, is the only way she can manage all of this.

“Nabil has helped me so much, he’s by far the best coach I have ever had in my life,” Volpis said.

Head coach Nabil Mardini respects all the things that Volpis does on and off the court.

“She makes sacrifices and does a lot for the team, you have to admire that and the fact that she’s going full time at LMU and Pierce, with all of that she also interns at UCLA. She’s a busy woman and student,” Mardini said.

Volpis’ goal is to get scouted by UCLA and play with a volleyball scholarship.