Coaches
Coach Tara’s playing experience started at Tstreet when she was 14. She finished her club years at Forza1 South and Forza1 North where she received the opportunity to travel to Italy and take second in an international tournament. Tara’s high school years were spent at Trabuco Hills, where she helped lead the team to their first League title, first CIF title, and to semi finalists in state. She received accolades of 4x best defender, second team all league selection, and first team all sea view league.
Afterwards, Tara began her college career at the University of Idaho where she led the team in service reception percentage, 2nd in digs, and third in aces and assists. Tara also received Big Sky All Academic Conference. She then went on to finish her undergraduate studies at UC Riverside where she led the volleyball team in top 3 service receptionists and top 4 in assists, digs, and ace leader categories. She helped lead her team to #1 in defense in the Big West Conference in 2017 and #3 in defense in the Big West Conference in 2018. Tara was the only player to accomplish all fitness tests under the previous head coach and received 2 Big West All Academic awards while receiving a Bachelors in Psychology. Tara then took a year off and decided to compete internationally in England for indoor and beach, where she also received a Masters in Organizational Project Management. She led her indoor team to Student Cup Champions and qualified for 5* events on the UK Beach Tour.
Tara’s coaching experience began at Forza while finishing her studies at UCR. She then started at Tstreet in 2019/2020 at Tstreet Inland Empire during her senior year and moved back home and has been at Tstreet Irvine. While at Tstreet Irvine, Tara assisted 13-Bailey in 2020 where the team took 1st in USA in the Far Western National Qualifier, along with 1st at Triple Crown. Tara assisted 15-Curtis in 2022 where the team took 1st at JVA, 3rd in SCVA Power Division, and 3rd in National at Girls Junior National Championships. She then ran the Sand Program in 2023 and earned an Open bronze medal for 14-Tara at the Salt Lake City Showdown Qualifier. In 2024/2025, Tara earned two bronze medals back to back with 14-Tara at the 2025 Salt Lake City Showdown Qualifier and 2025 Red Rock Rave Qualifier.
Coach Tara Eaton
VARSITY HEAD COACH
Coming Soon!
Coach Ethan Cinco
VARSITY ASSISTANT COACH
Ryan Compher
JUNIOR VARSITY COACH
Coach Ryan discovered his passion for volleyball as a student at Trabuco Hills High School, where he played for three years. Since then, he’s built a decade of experience competing across indoor, beach, and grass formats. During his senior year, Ryan took a leap into coaching—and was instantly hooked. That first experience lit a fire that’s kept him on the court ever since.
Now entering his eighth season of coaching, Ryan has spent the past five years developing athletes at Saddleback Valley Volleyball Club. He brings energy, insight, and a genuine love for the game to every team he works with.
Currently, Ryan is pursuing his teaching credential and Master’s in English at Vanguard University, with plans to combine his two greatest passions: education and coaching. While he has his eyes set on becoming a high school English teacher and coach, he’s also exploring opportunities to play professional volleyball overseas.
Ryan is incredibly proud of every athlete he’s coached and is driven by the joy of helping others grow, both on and off the court. He can’t wait to keep doing what he loves—sharing the game and building up the next generation of players.
Coach Carelock currently plays collegiate volleyball at Westcliff University as a right side. She was also recently awarded CalPac Newcomer of the year! Although this is her first season coaching high school volleyball, she has been coaching club volleyball for 3 years and is currently a head/assistant coach at Tstreet Volleyball Club.
Coach Carelock is super excited to venture into a new volleyball realm and continue doing what she loves, which is helping girls build and form their passion for the game!
Samantha Carelock
JUNIOR VARSITY ASSIST. COACH
Coach Ralph Rivera
FRESHMAN A COACH
Coach Ralph is a proud Trabuco Hills High School alumnus, Class of 2002, and began his volleyball journey right here in 1999. As a Varsity starter in both his junior and senior years, he helped lead the Mustangs to their first CIF playoff appearance and an Orange County Championship title in 2002.
From 2005 to 2008, Coach Ralph returned to THHS to coach in a variety of roles, including JV Head Coach, Frosh/Soph Head Coach, and Varsity Assistant. During that time, he guided the Frosh/Soph girls to an undefeated league championship and contributed to the girls' Varsity program reaching the CIF playoffs for the first time.
In 2009, he accepted an opportunity to join the University of Arizona Women’s Volleyball staff, where he was part of a program that earned NCAA Tournament appearances in all three of his seasons. He completed his B.A. in Elementary Education in 2012.
Coach Ralph is also a long-time Director and Head Coach at Saddleback Valley Volleyball Club, where he’s been coaching for the past 21 seasons. He has led top teams from 12s through 18s, guiding them to three national championships and two national runner-up finishes.
Outside of volleyball, Coach Ralph enjoys spending time with his wife Jessica and their two kids, RJ and Eliza. He also loves playing basketball and never turns down a good Korean BBQ meal.
Coach Lily played volleyball for seven years and is a proud Trabuco Hills High School alumni! Coach Lily spent her club career at Saddleback Valley Volleyball Club and is now coaching there across multiple age levels. She is pursuing a nursing degree at Saddleback College. Volleyball has played a huge role in her life, and she is excited to return to Trabuco as a coach. Her goal is to help athletes build strong fundamentals, grow as teammates, and develop a love for the game that lasts beyond high school.
Lily Shelton
FRESHMAN B COACH