UNLV Volleyball
Coaching Staff
Mashallah Farokhmanesh
Assistant Coach
Mashallah Farokhmanesh is in second year as an assistant coach at UNLV. As associate head coach he is a part of all phases of Rebel volleyball.
Dr. Farokhmanesh, known as Farokh, has been UNLV head coach Cindy Fredrick's top assistant throughout her coaching career.
Farokh comes to UNLV having spent 25 years as an assistant coach on the collegiate level, including 23 at NCAA Division I institutions. Most recently, he was with Fredrick at Luther College after a stint at Wartburg College.
During his career, he has helped his teams make 10 NCAA Tournament appearances with the first occurring in 1988 at Weber State, followed by nine more at Washington State that also included a trip to the Sweet 16 and two to the Elite 8.
Farokh has extensive experience as both a player and coach. Born in Burojerd, Iran, he was a member of the Pahlavi High School volleyball team for four years, during which time his team won three state championships. While earning his bachelor's degree in physical education from the Teacher Training College in Tehran, Iran, he played on a men's squad that won two college championships and he was honored all four years with all-star recognition.
Following college, Farokh went on to play for the Iranian National Team. During his seven-year tenure on the squad, he was elected captain and also played in international competition.
Farokh began his coaching career in his home country of Iran when he was named head volleyball coach for Esfahan High School. During his three-year stint at Esfahan he was also coach of the Iranair Club team.
Farokh left for the United States in 1977 to continue his education and earned his master's degree in physical education at Western Illinois University in 1979. Later, he went on to earn his educational doctorate (EdD) in elementary school physical education in 1985 from Brigham Young University. While at BYU, he continued to compete for and coach the men's volleyball club team for three seasons. Throughout his time in the U.S., he has been active at both USVBA summer camps and clinics as a coach.
Farokh and Fredrick first met at a summer camp at Graceland College in Lamoni, Iowa. When Fredrick was named as the Weber State head coach (1985-89), Farokh was hired as an assistant. Together the pair earned a Big Sky Conference championship in 1988 and also the school's first NCAA Tournament bid. After four years at Weber State the duo left for Washington State (1989-2004).
In Pullman, Farokh was part of a Cougar program that experienced seven seasons with 20-plus wins. He coached three All-Americans, including the Pac-10 Player of the Year. From 1989 through 2003, he helped lead Washington State to a 278-192 record.
Farokh and Fredrick, who have been married since 1984, have one son, Ali Farokhmanesh, who played basketball for Northern Iowa, including facing UNLV in the NCAA Tournament in 2010.
Nels Rydberg
Assistant Coach
Nels Rydberg is in his second year as an assistant coach at UNLV.
Rydberg comes to UNLV after spending nearly 20 years coaching volleyball on the collegiate, club and high school levels. Most recently, he was an assistant coach at Wright State University (2007-09), where he assisted in all areas of the program, including: recruiting, camp administration, travel arrangement, budget preparation, scouting, statistical evaluation, video analysis, skill development and practice planning.
Prior to his two year stint at Wright State, Rydberg was also an assistant on the collegiate level at Arkansas State (2000-02), Oregon (1995-99), Portland State (1994-95) and Cal Poly (1991-94).
Overall, Rydberg has coached 10 NCAA Division I all-conference performers, two NCAA Division II All-Americans and one all-region selection.
Before and during his time at Cal Poly, Rydberg was an assistant coach (Dec. 1990-July 1991) and head coach (Dec. 1991-July 1994) for the SLO Juniors Volleyball Club. He was also a volleyball instructor at Cal Poly, where he taught intermediate, advanced and professional activity classes (1992-94).
Rydberg has also been involved with the Storm N West Volleyball Club, Southside Volleyball Club, Athletes in Action men's touring team and Webfoot Juniors Volleyball Club. He has volunteered at the high school level, as well. Additionally, he spent time as a volleyball instructor at Oregon and taught intermediate and advanced classes.
He served as a police officer in Pismo Beach, Calif., for three years before coaching at Wright State.
Rydberg earned his undergraduate degree in kinesiology from Cal Poly in 1993 and his master's degree in motor behavior at UNLV, in 2011, where he had also functioned as a research assistant and instructor.
Besides his coaching experience on the court, he has contributed to the sport in writing. His article "Basic Motor Learning Principles for Coaching Volleyball" appeared in the August/September 1994 edition of Coaching Volleyball. He was a contributing author to the 1995 book Mental Training and Performance Enhancement Guide for Volleyball Coaches and Players.
Rydberg, a native of San Luis Obispo, Calif., has resided in Las Vegas with his wife, Julie, since 2009.
