LA JOLLA — A former La Jolla Country Day School girls volleyball coach was sentenced Nov. 16 to six years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of performing a lewd act upon a 12-year-old girl who attended a volleyball camp where the coach was also working. Probation was denied for Xia Wei Li, 29, of Pacific Beach by San Diego Superior Court Judge Theodore Weathers, who fined him $1,574. Li was given credit for 120 days already served in jail. The parents of the girl told the judge “in private, our little girl spent many hours sobbing” and has weekly therapy sessions. They described her as “a gullable adolescent” who has since had two nightmares. “We learned that our bubbly, gangly girl had been seduced by her coach and molested in a manner that was cool, calculating and degrading,” said the girl’s mother. The girl was molested July 21 at a July 19-22 camp sponsored by the University of San Diego. The victim told her parents about the molestation on July 25, and it was reported to San Diego police. Deputy District Attorney Dan Link said reports of the incident have “rocked” the coaching world. “The acts of this man have affected so many,” said Link, who urged an 8-year prison term. Li’s attorney, Court Will, said Li has coached many minors and this is the first instance of misconduct. He urged a lesser sentence and no more than three years. “I am not a bad person, but I’m a person who made a bad choice in a very dark moment of my life,” said Li, who wore a blue jumpsuit. “I am very sorry. Weathers said Li “took advantage of a position of trust.” The judge ordered Li to register as a sex offender for life. After he finishes his sentence, Li will be deported to China as he was not in the United States legally. Li was arrested Aug. 4 outside his residence on Oliver Street. Li was the junior varsity girls volleyball coach at La Jolla Country Day School starting in 2007, and was scheduled to coach this season. The mother said she hopes Li will “repent of his sins and be a better man.” —Neal Putnam