direction, then we’re off to a better start than most people.
What’s your favorite moment looking back on
your international career? The Olympic ceremonies are a stand-out
moment for me. Every day of this journey is pretty diffi cult. There’s not one day where you leave the gym and think, ‘Man, that was easy.’ [Laughs] And that moment where you’re walk- ing through the tunnel with all of the U.S. del- egation and we’re all dressed alike and chanting “USA” before we enter a stadium where the whole world is watching – that’s the all-encom- passing moment where everything makes sense, everything seems like it was worth it, and it’s just a sense of, ‘Yeah, I’ve done it.’ And then winning World Championship [in 2014]. For me, what was special about that was the way we did it. We leaned on each other and trusted each other and were vulnerable to each other and did things the right way, believing in it, and it’s powerful to believe in what you’re doing. For me, that was the difference between us and the rest of the teams at the tournament. So the lesson in life that came from World Champion- ship was also one of my best memories.
Who were the people who infl uenced you
most during your USA career? There were several people. Towards the
beginning, Robyn Ah Mow-Santos made a big impact on me. She’s one of the few females that I’ve ever been intimidated by. I learned so much about the game of volleyball and playing at a high level and what it means to be a good teammate from her, and the same goes for Lindsey Berg and Tayyiba Haneef-Park and Danielle Scott. Likewise, people like Courtney Thompson. To me, she’s just the ultimate team- mate, ultimate leader. She’s so consistent in her approach to the game and approach to the team, it’s inspiring to watch. That’s something I want to emulate as I go on to corporate America.
You were April Ross’ teammate at University
of Southern California. (They won back-to-back NCAA championships in 2002 and 2003). Has she ever said, ‘Hey, Nicole, come out to the beach’?
[Laughs] I’ve practiced with April and
Whitney Pavlik and a couple of the girls. April’s set up with a great partner in Kerri (Walsh Jennings). There’s no way I could replicate that. They’re two of the greatest competitors that I’ve ever played with or watched.
So no beach? No beach. I mean, I’m short. I’m 5-4 ½.
Beach is something I’ll probably do for fun once my body is done healing from all of the abuse of the last 11 years.
What’s next for you? I’ve been grinding through lots of inter-
views during the last month, everything from fi nancial sales to software sales to insurance sales. And something came up recently with a start-up company that I’m pretty excited about, so I’m hoping it will work out. What I’ve been looking for is an atmosphere that kind of mim- ics what I’ve had on the national team. I’ve been fortunate to have been put in touch with a few corporations that have that type of culture, so I’m exited about the possibilities.
For more of the Nicole Davis interview,
including her tips on reading the game and making a good pancake dig, check out the digital issue of VolleyballUSA that can be accessed at
http://www.usavolleyball.org/mag with the login info on your printed magazine’s mailing label.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78