The Knights are looking to grow sand volleyball in the Central Florida area.
Nicki Holmes begins his first season as an assistant coach at UCF. He will be responsible for the setters among other duties on the bench with head coach Todd Dagenais and assistant head coach Michelle Chatman.
Holmes most recently served as a volunteer assistant at Stetson during the 2011-12 season. While on staff with the Hatters, he served as the recruiting coordinator and participated in the coordination of video analysis as well as statistical analysis and gameday planning. While assisting with the indoor program, Holmes also aided the inaugural sand volleyball team this past spring.
Prior to arriving in DeLand, Holmes began working with USA Volleyball in 2006 and has served in a multitude of capacities. Most recently, he served as an assistant coach for the Youth A2 Program at the High Performance Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Holmes was also a head coach for the Future Select A2 Program in Colorado Springs, Colo., this summer.
Outside of volleyball, Holmes boasts an impressive resume in the private sector, having worked as a senior engineering manager while earning his MBA from Vanderbilt in 2011. After graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1998, Holmes served as an officer for seven years and was hand-selected to the premier space unit in the United States Military.
Holmes and his wife of three years, Angel, currently reside in DeLand.