As you've likely heard, we don't have any live-action contests to cover at LetsGoPeay.com right now. What we do have is free time; oodles and oodles of free time. Enough free time to swap oodles of emails with various people who would know to create a snapshot of the best players in Austin Peay volleyball history. Our second volleyball entry is a transplanted Californian whose stellar play bridged two successful eras for the program.
Nikki Doyle was the first player Mike Johnson brought to Austin Peay. She was the first player Taylor Mott coached to earn first-team All-OVC. In between, she carved out quite the career for herself.
After a year at UC Santa Barbara and a year sitting out due to shoulder injury—during which time Johnson led the Govs to an Ohio Valley Conference title and earned the head coaching job at Xavier—Doyle embarked on an Austin Peay career that brought her a title, three first-team All-OVC nods and a permanent place in the heart of Austin Peay fans.
In her first season, Doyle was the focal point of the offense, piling up 435 kills, first-team All-OVC and a spot on the All-Newcomer team. She also was a force in tournament play, earning OVC Tournament MVP honors as the second-seeded Govs won the OVC Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, with Doyle earning AVCA All-Midwest Region honors.
Doyle followed that with two more 400-kill seasons (409 as a junior, 429 as a senior) and two more first-team All-OVC honors, becoming the first player in program history with three first-team nods. Her 34-kill outing as a senior against Middle Tennessee remains the single-match record for a Gov.
In three seasons, Doyle amassed 1,272 kills (sixth all-time), hitting .227 (16th) and finished just 19 digs from joining the double-grand club. Doyle was enshrined in the Austin Peay Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.
