Lion queen

Oaks Christian grad helps UCLA win NCAA title, plays for Ireland in Olympic qualifier




NCAA CHAMPION—Izzy Carey, an Oaks Christian High grad, helped the UCLA women’s beach volleyball team defeat rival USC for the NCAA championship May 5 in Gulf Shores, Ala. The Bruins won it all in 2018.

NCAA CHAMPION—Izzy Carey, an Oaks Christian High grad, helped the UCLA women’s beach volleyball team defeat rival USC for the NCAA championship May 5 in Gulf Shores, Ala. The Bruins won it all in 2018.

The Bruins needed someone, anyone, to lead the chant.

After the first match of the season, UCLA women’s beach volleyball players looked at each other, unsure about what to do next.

“ Everyone was just sitting there, waiting,” said Stein Metzger, UCLA’s head coach. “They turn and look at Izzy and said, ‘Izzy, this is yours.’”

Izzy Carey shouted, “One, two, three . . .”

Her teammates boomed, “BRUINS!”

“From there on out, she was the one who would call out the cheer,” the coach said. “Everyone knew she was the leader of our team.”

Carey, an Oaks Christian High grad, started playing volleyball in sixth grade. She joined Oaks Christian’s middle school team simply because the sport looked fun and her friends played, too. It didn’t take long before Carey’s hardworking and competitive nature pushed her to excel.

The setter started training with high school girls in middle school. As a freshman, she started on the junior varsity squad. The following year, she was promoted to varsity and started during playoffs.

WILD LIFE—Above, UCLA’s Izzy Carey digs the ball. At left, Carey, far right, is swarmed by Bruins after UCLA defeated USC for the national championship. Carey, an All-American, was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team.

WILD LIFE—Above, UCLA’s Izzy Carey digs the ball. At left, Carey, far right, is swarmed by Bruins after UCLA defeated USC for the national championship. Carey, an All-American, was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team.

“She was a natural,” said George Hees, who coached Oaks Christian for 14 seasons. “Izzy was the quarterback of the team. We had a lot of strong junior and senior players, but we needed her smarts.”

Carrie Wright, Carey’s former middle school coach, introduced the youngster to beach volleyball. Carey eventually joined the Elite Beach Volleyball Club U-17 squad out of Manhattan Beach.

Carey’s analytic mind helped her thrive in the two-on-two game.

“You have to be more well-rounded and cerebral about the game versus being overly physical or just in one position,” Carey said. “On the beach, you touch the ball more and can’t hide from a certain skill, so it made me a better volleyball player.”

Carey, who joined UCLA in 2015, enjoyed a memorable college career. She owns the UCLA record for 123 career wins. This spring, Carey, 22, joined forces with Lindsey Sparks, a 19-year-old sophomore. The duo sported a 27-2 record and helped the Bruins capture their second straight NCAA championship.

Photos courtesy of UCLA Athletics

Photos courtesy of UCLA Athletics

Sparks said it took about five matches to adjust to Carey’s style. The players became an unstoppable force.

“Izzy took me under her wing and showed me the ropes,” Sparks said. “She led me and our teammates by example and kept our team grounded. The high standards she held herself to rubbed off on our team.”

Carey found a way to balance academics and athletics.

While completing classes for her business economics major and financing minor, Carey spent 20 hours every week training with the volleyball squad.

“I never had the idea of quitting because we had the goal of the national championship,” Carey said. “There’s nothing more motivating than that to remind you why you’re going through hard workouts or practices.”

Carey, who graduated in March with a 3.7 GPA, dominated in the classroom. The Pac-12 Conference scholar-athlete of the year was an honor roll student all 12 quarters of school.

Izzy Carey

Izzy Carey

“I’ve always prioritized academics. I’ve always loved learning,” Carey said. “Sports is a great platform, but I knew I wanted to enter a career. That’s always been my No. 1 focus.”

Carey has taken her athletic talents overseas.

She competed with Ireland’s national team the summer after her sophomore year. Her father, Michael, was born in Ireland. Izzy Carey placed third in the European Volleyball Confederation Small Countries Division championship that summer in Ireland, helping put Ireland on the map in the sport. In 2018, she played for Team Ireland in Liechtenstein.

This summer, she participated in Ireland’s first-round Olympic qualifier on the Emerald Isle. Although Ireland didn’t advance, Carey enjoyed visiting extended family and competing on an international stage.

She boasts an impressive resume on and off the sand, but she remains humble.

BLOOMSDAY—Izzy Carey dives for the ball while partner Alex Graves watches during Ireland’s match against Slovakia during an Olympic qualifier on June 1 in Bettystown Beach, Ireland. Courtesy of ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

BLOOMSDAY—Izzy Carey dives for the ball while partner Alex Graves watches during Ireland’s match against Slovakia during an Olympic qualifier on June 1 in Bettystown Beach, Ireland. Courtesy of ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

“She is extremely genuine,” Sparks said. “She is definitely well-respected, both academically and athletically, but doesn’t act like she’s above anyone.”

Carey moved to San Francisco earlier this month to pursue a career in investment banking.

“I really like financial analysis and I like to do things that are hard,” Carey said. “It’s a lot of work, but by working that much it’ll provide me the biggest opportunity to learn and open the doors to anything else I’d like to do in financing.”

Carey said she’ll spend the next few years focusing on her job, but volleyball will never be far from her heart.

“I don’t know how timing will work, but maybe after my first couple of years of work in investment banking,” Carey said, “I’ll be able to get over to Ireland again to play.”

Follow Krista Abrahamsen on Twitter @kmareporter.

IN A NUTSHELL

• Izzy Carey, an Oaks Christian High graduate, helped the UCLA women’s beach volleyball team win its second straight NCAA championship this spring.

• The 22-year-old played for Ireland the past three years in international tournaments, including an Olympic qualifier this summer.

• In June, Carey, an All- American and Pac-12 Conference All-Academic star, was nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award alongside UCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi. The winner will be announced Oct. 20.

• In 2017, Carey participated in a service trip to Tanzania, where she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest freestanding mountain in the world.