Rachel Nichols
Volleyball Experience
• Rachel has had a volleyball in her hand for as long as she can remember. “I would get home from an all day tournament and ask my mom or sister to pepper with me. If no one was up for it, I would go play against my house.”
• She was recruited to play at Salt Lake Community College, where she competed in the National Tournament in Casper, WY (“fun fact: it was so windy I vowed I would never live in WY…God has a sense of humor). She was awarded SWAC Player of the Week; received 1st Team All-Region Honors and found herself in the Record Book holding records for serving, both the 3rd and 4th place records for Single-Season Assists and 1st place record for Career-Assists.
• Coach Rachel completed her final two years of Collegiate Volleyball at the University of Alaska Fairbanks where she served her team as a captain and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Justice.
• While in Alaska, she was able to travel to new places and learn even more about the game. She was named to the All-Academic Team, found her way into the Record Book for Career-Assists and was awarded MVP her senior year.
• From 2022-2024, she was the Assistant Coach at Big Horn High School where they were State Runners-up and then back to back State Champions.
• She was named the 2024 Wyoming Coaches Association Assistant Volleyball Coach of the Year.
• Today, she is the Director of Blacktooth Volleyball and mom to Matt (who you’ll see running around the gym with her).
Why do I coach?
“I coach to give back to the game that has given me so much; countless life lessons, skills, opportunities, relationships and memories. I even met my husband through volleyball! The volleyball gym is the one place where I can chuck the crazy of life at the door and pour into something I love. I have felt the lessons that can come from playing a team sport like volleyball, the growth, the confidence, and it fuels my purpose knowing that there’s youth in our community that want that too.”
Coach Rach is originally from Riverton, Utah and joined the Sheridan community during the summer of 2019. Growing up, her dream job answer was always “a mom and a volleyball coach”, so needless to say, she is living the dream.
What do I look forward to teaching my team?
“I am excited to teach my team that dedicating yourself to something pays off no matter the outcome. The small things matter…they become the big things. Learning how to be a good teammate on and off the court is more important than any skill you have because your character matters. Who you ARE matters. Get creative with the game, stay present and HAVE FUN.”
Why the philosophy of coaching "person first, athlete second" is important to me:
“At the core of it all, if we get better at volleyball, great. If we become better versions of ourselves, we did it. That is the goal, and when you lead with this, you can never go wrong.”
Other Tidbits
“I love going on walks, spending time in the mountains, organizing spaces, golfing with my family and being hooked on a good book.”