LEXINGTON, Ky. – Former Slippery Rock University women's volleyball standout and current DeSales University Head Volleyball Coach Michele Ide Zabinski was recently as a recipient of a "Thirty Under 30 Award" presented by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

The award was created in 2009 to honor up-and-coming coaching talent at all levels of volleyball. To qualify for the award, nominees must be younger than 30 years old in 2010.

Zabinski and the other award winners will be featured in the upcoming April/May edition of Coaching Volleyball magazine.

Zabinski, who has compiled a 101-84 record in six seasons at DeSales, is one of three NCAA Division III head coaches included on the list of winners.

Under Zabinski's guidance, DeSales has appeared in the Freedom Conference postseason competition each of the last four seasons. The Bulldogs won the conference championship in 2007 and also advanced to the championship match each of the next two seasons. In 2010, DeSales earned a berth in the ECAC South tournament.

Zabinski was named the Freedom Conference Coach of the Year in 2007 after guiding the Bulldogs to the conference championship and to the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in school history. She also led the Bulldogs to three consecutive 20-win seasons from 2007-09.

Zabinski was a four-year letterwinner, three-time first-team all-region performer, two-time All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division selection and two-time team captain at The Rock. She also served one season as an assistant coach under veteran Rock Head Coach Laurie Lokash. She graduated from Slippery Rock as a double major with a Bachelor of Science degree in both exercise science and health and physical education.

In addition to serving as Head Volleyball Coach, Zabinski is the University's Intramural Director. She also serves as the Chair of the MAC Volleyball Committee and the AVCA Division III Head Coaches Committee.

Michele and her husband, Brian, have one son named Alex.