Frist worker a volleyball stud

If you need proof, you need look no further than the always-crowded Frist Campus Center. Most weeknights, a rather tall, amicable Frist employee named Ahmed Ibrahim can be found working in the cafeteria. While most people would not think twice about this observation, ask Ibrahim about his life story and prepare to be amazed.

A little more than two years ago, Ibrahim was in the midst of a very successful volleyball career in the volleyball-crazy nation of Egypt. He began as a teenager, starting at setter for the under-17 and under-19 national teams and later playing in the highest professional league for nearly 10 years.

“I first played volleyball when I was 15 years old,” Ibrahim said. “It started by chance. A friend invited me to go to practice with him, so I went to practice, and the coach was a very good coach. He asked if I wanted to participate in the practice after that, but I said ‘I don’t like volleyball.’ He said just to try it for a little while, and I agreed.”

Over the following 10 years, Ibrahim proved just how wise he was to listen to his coach’s advice, as he rose through the ranks of Egyptian volleyball. Beginning at 17, Ibrahim was selected to play for his state team — Port Said — in the national tournament. Shortly after, Ibrahim’s excellent performance on the state team earned him a spot on the under-17 national team, where he immediately made a good impression.

“I liked the environment. There was no pressure on me, so I played very well,” Ibrahim said. “I felt like I was just doing something that I liked, and that was it.”

To say he was doing very well would be an understatement. Only two years after Ibrahim first stepped on a volleyball court, he led his team to a third-place finish in the under-17 Arabic Championships.

The next stop on the Egyptian volleyball ladder was a starting gig on the under-19 national team. With Ibrahim starring as setter, the team finished third in the African Championships. Ibrahim’s performance on the under-19 national team caught the eye of one very important spectator.

“On the under-19 team, I played for an Italian coach who was in charge of the entire Egyptian national team system. In 1996, he put me with the first national team when I was 19 years old,” Ibrahim said. “He saw that I could play with them.”

While all this was going on, Ibrahim was also making waves on the Egyptian professional volleyball circuit. In 2002, Ibrahim was transferred by Semoho, his professional club in Alexandria, to another professional team in Cairo. At the time he was traded, the team in Cairo was in the B-league, the lowest of the three professional divisions in Egypt. Two years later, with Ibrahim orchestrating the offense as setter, the team had jumped two divisions to the professional league, where it finished fifth.

Then in 2006, Ibrahim’s life took an unexpected and fortuitous turn when he met his future wife, Celene Lizzio ’07, a Princeton student, in Egypt. After getting married, the two moved back to the United States, and Ibrahim immediately began looking for work.

“When I first came to the United States, I needed to find a job,” Ibrahim said. “I applied for several different jobs. I looked for volleyball clubs to play for, but I couldn’t find any clubs.”

Almost by chance, Ibrahim landed a job working for Princeton University Dining Services, a significant departure from his previous life as a professional volleyball player in Egypt. To stay in shape, Ibrahim began working out at Dillon Gym.

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“One day Jeff Zhao [now a sophomore on the varsity volleyball team] asked me to play volleyball. I said yes because I just needed someone to play with,” Ibrahim said. “He told me that we have a club volleyball team, and I said that I would be happy to work with them.”

Soon after, Ibrahim started coaching both the men’s and women’s club volleyball teams, offering them advice from his wealth of volleyball knowledge. Ibrahim has been coaching these teams for the past two years, while still hoping to get a shot to play competitive volleyball in the United States.

“I need time to bring myself back to my best form,” Ibrahim said. “I want to be on a competitive team.”

While the United States does not have a competitive volleyball league like Egypt, it would be unwise to disregard Ibrahim’s ambitions. After all, there is a growing summer beach volleyball tour in the United States where Ibrahim’s talents could be on full display.