Volleyball Standout Excels On Campus and Abroad

Daniel Sabzehzar didn’t initially think of UC Merced as a strong contender when weighing his choices for college.

In fact, he was days away from selecting another university when UC Merced offered him a volleyball scholarship. Sabzehzar took another look at the UC’s newest campus — and this time was hooked by its beauty and countless opportunities.

“Once I was on campus, I really loved it,” said Sabzehzar, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry and public health. “This is a small pond where you can be a big fish.”

Sabzehzar, who plans to attend medical school, has packed a lot onto his plate at UC Merced. He works for the campus Outdoor Experience Program, recently leading a group through Washington and Oregon during spring break. He’s vice president of communications for the American Medical Student Association. And he’s one of the first recruits to the men’s volleyball team, which debuted in 2013-14 and competes against some of the toughest teams in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

He’s also the first UC Merced student-athlete to play for a national sports team. Sabzehzar, whose mother is from El Salvador, has been playing for that country’s men’s volleyball team as they make a bid for the Olympics.

Sabzehzar, who is fluent in Spanish and stands 6-foot 6, was watching friends play in a volleyball tournament during a vacation to El Salvador last summer. Approached by the Salvadorian coach, Sabzehzar shared that he was a volleyball player and Salvadorian, and the coach extended an invitation to play on the junior national team.

Sabzehzar played one match on the junior team and then transitioned to the men’s national team. He plans to play for El Salvador at the Pan American Games this summer as the team contends for an Olympic berth, and he believes the decision to attend UC Merced has helped lead to this and other opportunities.

“I felt like it all fell into my lap,” he said.

When Sabzehzar was invited to play for El Salvador, one of his first texts was to his UC Merced coach. David Noble, who also is associate director for recreation and athletics, recruited Sabzehzar from Clovis West High School in Fresno.

“He’s a kid who has worked for everything that he’s got,” Noble said. “I saw an intelligent student-athlete who was very committed and dedicated to academics and enthusiastic about getting better at volleyball.”

Sabzehzar also didn’t shy away from the strong competition in the conference, Noble said. “He wanted to compete at a high level. He is one of those students who wants to make everyone around him better.”

Sabzehzar, a team captain, has been a pivotal player for the Bobcats, leading the team in kills and attacks in its first year. While hard work and dedication haven’t always translated into wins for the upstart program, Sabzehzar is pleased to help build its foundation.

“Losses can be frustrating in the short term, but I’m really happy with how we are developing,” he said. “The goal is to create a sustainable program.”

Sabzehzar plans to graduate in 2017. After that, he hopes to play professional volleyball — and maybe switch to beach volleyball — for a few years before enrolling in medical school.

Ultimately, he wants to work with underserved communities and may become a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon. Until then, Sabzehzar is happy at UC Merced.

“Going to UC Merced was the best decision of my life,” he said.