Finding a backyard volleyball net after a family move changed the course of Vicki Samarin’s life. Samarin was born in Kerman but at a young age, her family moved to Reedley where volleyball was a popular sport. The Samarin’s new house came with a volleyball net in the backyard. Backyard games with friends became common. It wasn’t long before Vicki flourished.

In high school at Immanuel Academy, she was an all-league player. Collegiately she played at Reedley College, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, then followed her brother Mark to Liberty University in Virginia. She joined the program as a walk-on. Soon after she received a scholarship and was one of the team’s best players.

In 1988 Samarin became an assistant coach at Selma High School. After one season she was named head coach. In five seasons she won three league titles.

By now married to Tim and with two young sons, Samarin moved back to her hometown as head volleyball coach at Kerman High School. Over the next ten years her teams won 8-league championships and in back-to-back seasons, 1998 and 1999 the Lions won the Division-4 Valley title.

Following the 2003 season Samarin stepped away from coaching to watch her oldest son play club volleyball at UC Santa Barbara. Two years later she was lured back to coach at Clovis East High School. The school had never won a league match in its six-year existence. Samarin built the program into a winner. In 2015 Clovis East went 33-9, and won the Tri-River Athletic Conference title, and Division-1 Valley championship.

Following the season Samarin stepped away from coaching to watch her youngest son, Aaron, play for Ohio State. She cheered as he helped the Buckeyes to the NCAA championship.

Six months later Samarin learned she was suffering from amyloidosis – a rare disease for which there is no cure.  On April 1, 2017, Vicki Samarin succumbed to the disease. In a book about his wife that he co-authored with David Smale, Tim Samarin wrote, “Cancer won the set, but Vicki won the match because of the impact she had in other people’s lives.”