10 Questions with Coach: Nicole Hervey dishes on the growth of the Ryan volleyball program, her confidence in surviving a zombie apocalypse – Denton…

Ryan head volleyball coach Nicole Hervey was gracious enough to sit down with the Denton Record-Chronicles sports department for a series called 10 Questions With Coach. Here are Herveys thoughts on several thought-provoking questions.

All this talk about football practices. How are things going in your volleyball world?

Hervey: Its going good. We just miss the girls. You think of teaching and coaching Ive been doing both for a long time, and you think you get burned out by it. But you do miss it, especially during times like these. Im ready to go back. You miss that interaction of being around the kids. And they do, too.

It wasnt that long ago that you were taking the reins at Ryan. Are you happy with what you, your staff and the players have accomplished so far?

Yes. I think its a building process. When I came in, I had a really good group, and from there its been a lot of building. The next two groups of freshmen Ive been around them since the beginning of middle school working with them. Im anxious to get them into the program and build. We dont have a lot of club kids, so were just trying to get them all plugged in and learning the game. I dont like losing, and thats been the adjustment for me. But Im working hard to turn that around.

If you could coach any sport besides volleyball, what would it be and why?

It would be a toss up between track and gymnastics. Those are probably the two I was most active in and know the most about. With track, I like working with the male and female athletes and getting to know each of them. Its fun coaching those types of athletes. I was a hurdler, so I coached a lot of that. I was in gymnastics a lot and did that competitively, so I could do that, too.

What do you like to do for fun?

My free time is pretty much eating and going out to a movie. My parents just built a lake house and my aunt has a lake house, so we like to go to the lake and do a lot with family. I also feel like my fun is going to change now that my daughter graduated with her masters and my son graduated from high school. So I feel like Im entering a different phase of my life. Id like to save up some money here and there and do more traveling. You dont get to do a lot of that, so thats what Id like to do more of.

If you had to fight a bear or a lion, which one would you pick and why?

I think I would fight the bear. Im trying to remember what Ive been told about fighting a bear something about poking their eyes and you can get them to run off. Ill have to text you back on that. But I also feel like lions are faster, so I could probably outrun a bear.

If you had to take a pie to the face, who would you want to throw it and what flavor would it be?

The flavor would be chocolate cream pie. I dont like like pie much, so itd have to be chocolate cream pie. And Id probably let my assistant Chloe Tate do it. Shed be fun, and shed help me clean up.

How long do you think you could survive in a zombie apocalypse?

Im surviving; Im telling you right now. I would survive as long as I needed to get out. I was raised on scary movies with my dad. Im not going to be that dumb person. Im going to do what I need to do to survive.

What trend or style did you rock in middle or high school that you now realize was silly looking?

Hervey: Thats easy. The pink and blue eyeshadow and the big bangs, for sure. Thats what I rocked. I also had a pair of MC Hammer pants. My stepmother made me a few of those homemade MC Hammer pants. I wore those a lot.

Have you ever gotten out of a speeding ticket for batting your eyelashes at the cop?

I dont know if Ive gotten out of it for batting my lashes; if I did, I didnt realize it was happening. I have gotten out of it two or three times for looking at them and saying, Im so sorry; I had no idea how fast I was going. I did have to be really nice.

Scenario: Youre in a gym and standing in front of you is the best setter to ever grace the high school volleyball court. Next to her is your assistant coach Chloe Tate. You can only keep one. Which one?

Id definitely keep Chloe Tate. Thats hands down. I wouldnt trade her for anything. No. Shell train those kids for anything I need them to do. And if I dont find a setter, shed have my back 100%. And then shed feed me pies when Im depressed over my setter not doing what I want her to do.

STEVE GAMEL can be reached at 469-360-3611 and via Twitter at

@NewspaperSteve.

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10 Questions with Coach: Nicole Hervey dishes on the growth of the Ryan volleyball program, her confidence in surviving a zombie apocalypse - Denton...