The new head coach for Santiago Canyon College’s women’s volleyball team brings years of personal athletic achievement as well as a range of experience coaching and officiating the game.
Niloofar Mojab, 36, coaches both the indoor and outdoor women’s volleyball teams and is actively recruiting for the spring 2026 season.
Born in the city of Shiraz, Iran, and raised in Tehran, Mojab showed athletic ability at an early age. “I started with track and field when I was 9,” she said. “In my second year, I picked up high jump as my primary event and long jump, or 100-meter hurdle or 60-meter hurdle for my secondary.”
She was the No. 1 high-jump athlete in the 10 -to-18 age group and, at age 14, made it to the women’s national team. “I was competing with adults, the youngest of whom was 21,” she said. At the age of 15, she competed in her first international high-jump event.
Mojab was introduced to volleyball by a friend and, at 17, she joined Iran’s Super League, the highest volleyball level in that country.
“There was a federal regulation that every team have at least a few players younger than 19 to inspire younger players to join the sport,” she explained. Mojab fell in love with the sport and played consistently through age 25.
Her family moved to the United States, and Mojab joined them, deciding to stay, become a U.S. citizen and build a life here. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in social work from Whittier College while playing for the Whittier volleyball team before she retired as an athlete. Today she lives in Irvine.
As a certified volleyball official — she received her Junior National Certificate in 2021 — Mojab has officiated volleyball at high school, collegiate and club games. “I referee in DII Conferences such as the PacWest Conference,” she said.
Her SCC women’s volleyball team plays both indoor and beach volleyball, each challenging players’ skills in different ways, Mojab said.
“You can take a lot from beach volleyball to use for indoor,” she said. “I think beach volleyball is closer to being an individual sport than indoor. When I’m coaching beach volleyball, I see my players use a mental toughness. It reminds me of what I needed to do in track, where yes, you are on a team and team results are what matter, but in each moment it’s up to you and you only to figure out what to do — no one will come and save you.
“It’s a mental toughness that allows players to be more resilient. After my indoor players play beach volleyball, they say, ‘I move faster, I react better. I see the game better.’”
Mojab is still refining her approach to coaching as she seeks the right balance of showing love and support toward her team and being firm.
“The style that has always been my signature is what people call tough love. My players, at the end of day, see the love I have for them, though they might not be able to see at the beginning because I am firm and strict,” she said, adding that her goal is to build a culture of accountability.
One thing she knows for sure: “Constant yelling and criticizing and being negative as a coach is not going to work, especially with this generation,” Mojab said. “They need to know where you’re coming from. Clear communication about expectations is what they need the most.”
The indoor volleyball season begins in the summer and can go through November, depending on how far the team advances. Beach volleyball starts in January and can go into May. In addition to coaching the SCC team, Mojab also coaches the Pro-Play club team in Orange and the high school volleyball team at Rosary Academy in Fullerton. As someone who has studied psychology and social work, and at one time considered working as a life coach, Mojab says helping people has always been her passion. “With teachers and parents, we’re all on the same page to help and empower young women,” she said. “It’s a privilege, and the most rewarding job on the planet.”