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Volleyball Coach

Nancy Cole
Head Coach
203-130
12th Season

[Email Coach Cole]

Nancy Cole has guided her squads to a 191-109 record over her first eight years at Houghton, with two regional titles and two NAIA National Tournament appearances (1998 and 2000).

Her 1998 squad finished 27-9 after capturing the Northeast Atlantic Conference crown and winning the Northeast Region title to reach the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in school history. Cole led her team back to nationals in 2000 after upsetting the top seeds in both the conference and regional tournaments. That team finished 26-16 and put Cole over the 100 career win plateau during the season.

Despite losing six seniors the previous year, Cole's 2002 team earned a trip to the NAIA Region IX finals and finished with a 21-16 record. For that effort Cole was named American Mideast Conference North Division Coach of the Year.

Despite the success, she stays grounded. "Winning is very important and it’s a way of showing that you’re giving 100% to God, but there are more important things out there, too."

Cole's players have earned a total of 33 all-conference honors. She has also produced a two-time conference player of the year, 10 all-region honorees, a two-time NAIA All-America and three NAIA All-America Scholar-Athletes.

After playing volleyball in high school, Cole decided to attend Houghton, where she was a three-year member of the varsity team, twice being named as an NCCAA Academic All-American and also being honored with a first-team all-conference selection after her senior year.

After graduating in 1990, Cole spent time helping out with nearby Fillmore High School’s team before coming back to Houghton as an assistant coach for two years. She says she learned a lot from the two Houghton coaches she assisted, current Athletic Director Skip Lord and Glen Conley, and so was ready when the opportunity to become Houghton’s head coach came in 1996.

Why coach at Houghton? Besides loving volleyball and wanting to be around it as much as she can, she really likes being at a small college. She also likes Houghton’s affiliation with the NAIA, largely because a lot of the teams they saw at the National Tournament were other Christian schools. Additionally, she loves Houghton. Not only does she have the chance here to impact her players’ lives on a volleyball basis, but "to be available to them spiritually, emotionally, and everything else . . . I think it’s a really cool opportunity. It’s neat to have a Christian team, where you can fellowship together."

COLE AT HOUGHTON

2006

• 17-13

• AMC Tournament First Round

2005

• 14-21

• AMC Tournament First Round      

2004

• 17-18

• AMC Tournament First Round

2003

• 15-16

• AMC Tournament First Round

2002

• 21-16

• NAIA Region IX Finalist

• AMC North Division Coach of the Year

2001

• 25-7

• Conference Tournament

2000

• 26-16

• NAC Champions

• NAIA Region IX Champions

• NAIA National Tournament

1999

• 22-11

• NAIA Region IX Tournament

1998

• 27-9

• NAC Champions

• NAIA Region Champions

• NAIA National Tournament

1997

• 16-7

1996

• 22-9

• NAIA Northeast Region Finalist

Bitsy Mayhle

Assistant Coach

1st Season

Team Managers

Sherri Taber

Ruth Taber