Phil Nickel was named the 12th head coach in the history of the Wayne State University women's volleyball program on March 3, 2008, by WSU Director of Athletics Rob Fournier.

"In Phil we have the person that reflects well on the long and comprehensive national search process we undertook," said Fournier. "He brings leadership, a strong recruiting background and knows what it takes to build and sustain a winning program. His positive reception during the interview process by student-athletes, staff and other coaches underscores those intangible attributes that are so necessary to work with divergent groups and achieve success. I look forward to the energy, focused approach and work habits that have been a trademark of his career."

Nickel comes to Wayne State after serving as the assistant coach at the University of Houston for the last six seasons (2002-07). His responsibilities at Houston included recruiting, personnel development and assisting with on-court coaching. During his tenure with the Cougars, Nickel helped coach eight athletes to 12 All-Conference honors, including the 2004 and 2005 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year Jaci Gonzalez.

"First of all, I would like to thank Rob Fournier for the opportunity to lead the Wayne State volleyball program," commented Nickel. "This gives me the chance to bring my family back to the Midwest, and to build a championship volleyball program. Rob has made a commitment to the volleyball program, and I look forward to working with him to reach the goals we have set."

His other NCAA Division I volleyball experience includes assistant coaching positions at Illinois State (2000-01) and Wright State (1998-99), as well as a head coaching position at Division III Thomas More College for two years (1996-97). Nickel compiled a 34-43 mark in his two seasons with the Saints leading them to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and a #4 ranking in the South Region in 1997. TMC finished the year with a 20-17 record.

Nickel has served as a committee member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, which represents the interests of collegiate assistant volleyball coaches, and was also the Chair of the Professional Development Sub-Committee.

He led the Houston Juniors 17 national team to the Silver Championship at the 2006 USA Volleyball Junior Olympic Championships as well as coaching the U17 Black Team for Illinois Juniors Volleyball Club to fifth-place finishes in 2001 and 2002 and had four players named to the All-Tournament Team at USA Nationals. He has also coached the Dayton Juniors and Western Buckeye Volleyball Club.

Nickel attended Ohio Northern for two years, where he played football and baseball. He then transferred to the University of Cincinnati where he played volleyball on the men's club team from 1992-95. He served as a captain and president from 1994-95 and earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1995. Nickel furthered his education at Wright State University, where he was involved in the Athletics Administration Masters Program.

A native of Richwood, Ohio, he and his wife, Michelle, have two sons, Trey and Zackary, along with a daughter Kaia.

Phil Nickel's Career Head Coaching Record
Year	School	Won	Lost	Pct.
1996	Thomas More College	14	26	.350
1997	Thomas More College	20	17	.541