When Nikki Doyle transferred from UC Santa Barbara to Austin Peay during Summer 2009 it was more than a leap of faith.
A Santa Maria, California native, she not only departed her native state, but Doyle traveled more than halfway across country to play volleyball for a first-time head coach in Mike Johnson and pursue an education at a university she barely knew anything about. Doyle had known Johnson when he was a three-year assistant at Cal Poly and club coach while Johnson certainly knew of Doyle, who was a four-year starter and two-time all-conference selection at Pioneer Valley High School in Santa Maria, Calif. But UC Santa Barbara was Doyle's college of choice.
However, when things didn't work out for Doyle in her one season as a Gaucho, she was seeking a college program where she could have greater impact. During the transfer process, Johnson used his familiarity with Doyle to reach out about coming east…the Southeast.
"I can vividly remember driving a U-Haul truck cross country and stopping to speak with Nikki," said Johnson, now Notre Dame's head coach. "I was worried I might drive into an area where the reception wasn't good and so I pulled the truck over somewhere in Middle America so that we could speak without worry of dropping the call. I didn't yet know the team at Austin Peay, but I knew Nikki, knew what she was capable of and I believed in her.
"Nikki was the first person I recruited to AP. We had a wonderful visit with her and her dad (at the time athletic director at Pioneer Valley) during spring practice, and thankfully for us, she chose to attend Austin Peay."
"Knowing Mike would be my coach was a big reason I came out to Austin Peay," Doyle said. "While he was still assisting at Cal Poly he would come to my club practices and help out. I learned so much from him in high school and I knew I would love to be coached by him. But after my visit to Austin Peay and meeting all the girls and athletic staff I knew it was the right school for me."
But those plans went awry that fall. Doyle was forced to sit out the 2009 season with a shoulder injury. In other words, for the first time since she literally began playing volleyball Doyle would be unable to compete in the sport she loved.
"Sitting out my first year at Austin Peay was extremely hard for me," Doyle said. "I remember the day very clearly when Mike called me into his office and told me I would medical redshirt. I left with tears in my eyes and the first person that saw me, I had no idea his name or who he was, but he looked at me and said 'I am going to pray for you. Things will be okay.' That just further proved to me that I was in the right place.
"I busted my butt in the training room every morning and in the weight room. I feel like I came back stronger than I was before my injury." She credited APSU's athletic training room for that, pushing her to not only strengthen the shoulder but rehab it correctly to prevent an injury recurrence and potential surgery.
The 2009 campaign turned out to be a season where the Lady Govs reversed their fortunes. In fact, Johnson led Austin Peay to a 22-9 overall record and 15-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Johnson did so well as head coach that Xavier came a calling for his services. It meant Doyle wouldn't even have an opportunity to play for the coach who brought her across country.
But Doyle didn't fret about what might have been perceived as a second bit of misfortune. Under new head coach Haley Janicek, who was the Lady Govs assistant in 2009, Doyle helped catapult Austin Peay to a 26-8 overall record and a second consecutive second-place OVC finish. The 5-11 Doyle became the fulcrum of the Lady Govs offensive attack. She not only led the Lady Govs in kills during her first season with 435 kills (495 overall points) but she earned first-team All-OVC as well.
But Doyle's play escalated to an even higher level in the OVC tournament, when she recorded a 20-kill effort in the OVC tourney semifinal contest against Tennessee Tech and then tallied a scorching 45 percentage (17 kills) in the tourney title game against Morehead State to stun the Lady Eagles, lifting APSU to only its second OVC tourney title—and first NCAA tournament appearance. As a result of her performance, Doyle was named OVC Tournament MVP and she was the focal point of host Illinois in the NCAA Regional in Champaign, Ill.
In addition to earning those OVC honors, Doyle was chosen honorable mention All-Midwest Region as selected by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, becoming the second APSU player to receive all-region honors.
Although the Lady Govs suffered through a disappointing 2011 season after Janicek elected to give up coaching to tend to family matters, Doyle continued to produce at an all-league level—her second straight All-OVC honor. After having 435 kills as a sophomore, she finished her junior campaign with 408.
With new coach Taylor Mott at the helm in 2012, Doyle once again elevated her play. She made it three straight 400-kill seasons with 429 in aiding the Lady Govs reverse the previous season's disappointment with a 17-16 overall record, including a 10-6 OVC mark. Doyle became the first Austin Peay volleyball player to receive three first-team All-OVC honors when she was selected to the 2012 team.
She also became the first APSU player to record three 400-kill seasons during their respective careers—Doyle led Austin Peay in kills in each season she played. She finished conference play with an impressive 247 kills, second most in the league, and a .222 attack percentage. Her 3.64 kills per set in 2012 ranks sixth all-time at Austin Peay.
During the 2012 season, Doyle set Austin Peay's single-match record with a 34-kill performance against Middle Tennessee. It was part of a 60-kill week that also saw her earn weekly honors from the Tennessee Sports Writers Association. Doyle also set a career-high with 24 digs against Southeast Missouri.
Despite playing only three seasons with the Lady Govs, Doyle ranks sixth all time in kills (1,265) along with 971 digs. She still is ranked third all-time in points per set (3.96) and kills per set (3.45).
Her Lady Govs career culmination saw Doyle selected as the 2012-13 Female Legends Award as APSU's most valuable women's senior athlete, the same year she was inducted into the Pioneer Valley High School Hall of Fame, where she is now the volleyball coach.
In other words, leaving behind her beloved California for middle Tennessee proved to be a perfect match point for Doyle and Austin Peay.
