Sydel Curry - Volleyball Player, Facts and Childhood

This gifted youngster followed her brothers’ footsteps and enrolled at the ‘Charlotte Christian School’, situated in North Carolina, after returning from Canada, where she spent quite some time. . It was here that Sydel discovered her passion for volleyball and rose to prominence. Sydel had started out in middle school much like her mother did – juggling between basketball and volleyball and excelling at both. It was only a matter of time before the inevitable dilemma arose – what to choose and what to leave behind. As the club volleyball season coincided with the basketball season, Sydel had to make a choice, and after much thought, she decided to go with the greater of the two passions – volleyball.

In high school, Sydel was an elite volleyball player, guiding her school team to new heights as a starter and earning accolades along the way. During her four-year stint with the Charlotte Christian team, she captained for three years. Sydel was an instrumental force in the victory streak that saw ‘CCS’ surpass the record for most wins in a season, in 2012. Besides, multiple ‘NCISAA’ accolades (was a four-time CISAA All-Conference selection and a two-time NCISAA All-State selection), she also attended the nationals in 2012, while playing for ‘Carolina Union’.

As luck would have it, Sydel started off her highly-anticipated university career on the wrong foot. During the pre-season practice session at Elon, Sydel dislocated her left knee-cap and was redshirted for the most part of the season – a setback that can be as much psychological as it is physical, especially in the initial stages of your career. But Sydel was far from being disheartened. Her rich sporting pedigree must have stood her in good stead during these trying times.

“The best advice from my family is that it’s okay to mess up, but it’s how you recover, how you rebound from it, what you learn. Always take what has happened and learn from it, good or bad, and become a better person,” recalls Sydel.

Indeed, she rebounded quite astoundingly and returned to the court soon afterwards, registering a decent freshmen year besides being named the team’s ‘Most Improved Player’. Sophomore year was the real game-changer, where Sydel’s game peaked and she officially became a starter. Of her 28 appearances, she earned the start 24 times, and ended the season with 851 assists – the fifth highest in the conference.

“As a volleyball player, I would say I add a sense of calmness to the court but also a sense of competitiveness because I love to win. I work really hard to be the best I can be and to also allow my teammates to excel, as well. Being a setter, that’s a huge part of what I do and that’s what I love to do,” talks Sydel about the guiding precept that drives her game.

Sydel Curry was born to a family of illustrious athletes on October 20, 1994, in Charlotte, North Carolina. While the men in the family were born for basketball, Sydel’s mother, Sonya Curry, was no stranger to competitive sports. A former volleyball player at the ‘Virginia Tech University’, it was perhaps her influence that turned Sydel from basketball to volleyball at such an early age.

She began her schooling by attending a Montessori school run by her mother. At the age of 7, she moved to Toronto with her father, who had signed up with ‘Toronto Raptors’ (for whom he played his final three NBA seasons). She began her elementary schooling at the ‘Queensway Christian College’ in Etobicoke, Ontario, but the Canadian sojourn lasted for just a year. Dell’s stint with the ‘Toronto Raptors’ ended in 2002 and the family moved back to North Carolina.

Sydel maintains that growing up in a close-knit, devout Christian family, has helped her stay grounded, despite being constantly in the limelight. She recalls her childhood as being ‘super-normal’, and feels that not much has changed over the years.

Perhaps this is the reason why she has continued pursuing her Major in psychology (and Minor in human service studies) at Elon like any other student, despite the promise of a bright future in volleyball. Her boyfriend, Ricky Brown, is a member of the ‘Elon University’ football team, and the two have been dating for quite a while now.

When she is not busy being a star on the volleyball court, Sydel Curry likes to spend quality time with her family and friends – especially her niece Riley Curry, whom she considers her spirit animal! Sydel’s sister-in-law (Riley’s mother) is no stranger to the spotlight either. Happily married to Stephen Curry, Ayesha Curry is a former actor, presently a proud mother of two and a master chef in the making.

In essence, the Curry Family epitomizes the idea of the perfect American family, and it comes as no surprise that Sydel’s bio across all social platforms reads the same thing - “My family is everything to me”.

But even as she proudly carries on the family legacy and stays close to her dear ones, Sydel has managed to reaffirm her identity as a talented athlete and a self-reliant young woman. Her Elon coach says how she prefers to be called only by her first name, for here is a confident, gifted lady who would rather be known for what she is than where she comes from.