Nicole Polster and Nicky Cannon traveled different roads as college student-athletes. Polster was a volleyball setter for Long Beach State while Cannon was a softball pitcher at Colgate University in upstate New York.

 

But they have a lot in common now. The two joined the Cal State Fullerton women's volleyball coaching staff this spring. Fifth-year Titan head coach Ashley Preston said Polster and Cannon already have had a sizable impact.

 

A four-year starter at Long Beach before joining the U.S. national team, Polster spent the past six years as an assistant coach at the University of Pacific in Stockton. She is the Titans' new offensive coordinator and works with setters, middle- and right-side hitters. Polster also handles budgeting, travel planning and academic support and help outs with recruiting and orientation for first-year student-athletes.

 

Cannon has devoted her post-college life to volleyball. She served as an assistant coach at Cypress Community College the past three years, working with both the indoor and outdoor teams. She oversees Fullerton's defensive strategy and recruiting and works with the outside hitters. Cannon will also direct the team's fund-raising and marketing efforts.

 

"We're excited about our staff. We saw great improvements with our setter, Mackenzi Abelman, and our other setters after Nicole started working with them. Nicky has a connection to clubs and community colleges in Southern California, which will help her as recruiting coordinator," said Preston, who got to know Polster and Cannon on the recruiting circuit.

 

"We've let our student-players know that the coaches will give them the tools but have told them, 'Your destiny is in your hands.' Our girls have been working hard this summer. They've taken more ownership of the program and have worked to improve their weight-training, sleep and diet," said Preston.

 

For Polster, communication is the key to the setter-hitter relationship. "The setter's mindset is like a quarterback's – you have to run the team and make sure everyone is on the same page. What we did in the spring will carry over into the fall. The players have shown enthusiasm and are ready to go," she said.

 

Polster comes from a family of elite athletes. Her mother, Debbie Green-Vargas, was a two-time All-American setter at USC, where she led the indoor team to two national championships. Green-Vargas was the starting setter on the U.S. volleyball team that won a silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and is a member of the International Volleyball Hall of Fame. Polster's father, Joe Vargas, was a two-time All-American in water polo for UCLA. A member of the U.S. national water polo team for a decade, he competed at the 1984 Olympic games too.

 

If Pollster felt pressure from having two famous parents, she hid it well. She began receiving scholarships offers while playing volleyball at St. Joseph High School in Lakewood. Her mother was a volleyball assistant coach at Long Beach State at the time, and both parents thought it would be wise if she attended college elsewhere.

 

"Her dad advised her not to go to Long Beach State. I told her that too, saying there would be a lot of pressure," said Green-Vargas. "But Nicole said, 'No. I want to see how good I can get. With you and [then-49ers head coach Brian Gimmillaro], I can reach my potential here."

 

A four-year starting setter, she engineered the Long Beach attack from the middle where she posted 4,695 career assists, fourth best in school history. She guided Long Beach to four NCAA tournament appearances. She was twice a first-team All-Big West performer.

 

Polster then received an invite to join the U.S. national team. She was a team member in 2009 and 2010. Although she didn't make the travel roster, she learned a lot. "It was a great experience. I got to train with great players and be part of it," she said.

 

She then relocated to northwest France, where she played volleyball for a professional team in Nantes. "I was there for 10 months. Nantes is a great city. The team had just moved into the A league. I got to travel all around France," said Polster, who was one of three U.S. players on the squad.

 

"We're excited about our staff," says Fullerton women's volleyball coach Ashley Preston, center, with new assistant coaches Nicole Polster, left, and Nicky Cannon.

 

She had got an early taste of coaching by helping her mother run instructional volleyball camps. In 2012, she served as a volunteer assistant coach for Long Beach State and also began coaching for the Anaheim-based Goldenwest Volleyball Club.

 

"I had always wanted to be a teacher. I had wrestled with getting a teaching credential and was trying to decide what I was going to do. Then the opportunity at Pacific came up. And I thought, "This is teaching too."

 

At Pacific, Polster coached both women's beach and indoor volleyball in her first two years before concentrating on the indoor season. She coached the team's setters and handled several administrative duties for the West Coast Conference team. "That WCC was competitive every weekend and perhaps has a slight edge over our conference. But the Big West is right there."

 

Her mother, Green-Vargas, said Polster will be a strong addition to the Titans. "Nicole grew up in a gym. She saw what it takes to be successful," said Green-Vargas. "She is a hard worker who is very organized. She is a very good listener and is trustworthy and loyal."

 

Pollster said she was happy to return to Southern California. "It's great to be home. I love the Fullerton campus. It's a terrific school with a great location. There is always construction going on with things being updated, and that's a good sign."

 

A year ago, she married Jim Polster, who she met after her stint with the national team. He was a volleyball second-team All-American at Long Beach State. Jim Polster played on the U.S. national team for eight years and was an alternate for the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. He later coached for four years at Pacific, serving as a volunteer coach before becoming an assistant coach for the last two years. He now gives private lessons in the sport.

 

Polster and her husband, who live in Seal Beach, have a Pomeranian-Pekinese mix dog named Russell. Polster said she enjoys spending down time with family and friends. She enjoys reading and shopping on Amazon. "Shopping is probably not a good hobby, especially if you're at the end of the month."

 

Get to know a little bit about Coach Polster and her role with the team ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/4xT6WlYuUE

— Titans Volleyball (@Fullerton_WVB) July 24, 2019

 

Her counterpart, Nicky Cannon, is tasked with leading the Titans' recruiting efforts. And she has hit the ground running.

 

"With recruiting, it's very critical getting to know the culture of the player and her family. It's very important to know the character of the recruit. I have confidence in the coaches to build technique," said Cannon.

 

"I'm excited to be at Cal State Fullerton and have a hand in building something special here," she said.

 

Born in Fountain Valley and raised in Palmdale, she said she loved volleyball while growing up. But softball was the sport that earned her a scholarship to Colgate, which is in Hamilton, New York. "I couldn't miss the fall softball workouts, so I couldn't play volleyball," she said. "But I told myself that if I were ever to coach, it would be volleyball."

 

After graduating, she moved to Orange County, where she met Jerron Cannon. They married in 2012 and moved to Texas, where she became the volleyball head coach at Christ Academy High School in Wichita Falls. While in the Lone Star State, she and her twin sister, Natalie Burton, founded Zone-In Volleyball Academy. Cannon was the head coach for the 14s and 18s national team and club director from 2012-2019. She also was a volunteer assistant for her twin when the latter was the volleyball head coach from 2014 to 2017 at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls.

 

Cannon moved to Southern California four years ago after Jerron took a new job. She served as an assistant coach at Cypress College for three years before joining the Titan staff.

 

"Nicky helped recruit and build the team culture at Cypress," said Titan head coach Preston. "She got a whole team to come somewhere without a scholarship. That's a tremendous testimonial to her personality and what she believes in when she is part of a program."

 

Burton said her sister's upbeat makeup plays well with her student-athletes. "Nicky has no shortage of enthusiasm. She definitely connects with her players. She has such a great spirit and is such a loveable person. And she's happy to be back at California, although Texas still holds a special place in her heart," Burton said.

 

Ruth Nelson, a former women's volleyball head coach at the University of Houston and three other colleges, has served as a mentor to Cannon. Nelson, who was also an assistant coach for the U.S. women's national team, said Cannon has all the ingredients to succeed at the collegiate level.

 

"Her enthusiasm is contagious," said Nelson." "When Nicky worked at my volleyball camps, she clearly showed her ability to motivate players and did well developing relationships. She will bring a lot of energy and expertise on the recruiting side."

 

Nelson is the founder of the BYOP program, or Bring Your Own Parents, which provides fundamental volleyball training for youths age 10 and under. A parent joins in each training session. Cannon is the first and only coach to be certified in BYOP in California.

 

"As a coach, Nicky is very receptive to new ideas and wants to learn as much as possible. Her experience at Cypress has given her perspective on what goes on at the college level," said Nelson, who coached Olympians and Hall of Famers Rose Magers and Rita Crockett and the late Flo Hyman while at Houston.

 

Cannon and her husband live in La Palma and have two daughters, Rishae, 5, and Syriah, 3. "I enjoy spending time with everything the kids are involved in such as dance and softball," said Cannon, who is finishing up a master's degree at Azusa-Pacific University. She also enjoys playing beach volleyball when time permits.

 

Get to know a little bit about Coach Cannon and her role with the team ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/bs0gbQS2MQ

— Titans Volleyball (@Fullerton_WVB) July 24, 2019

 

Also, Jeffrey Lui returns for a second year as a volunteer assistant coach for the Titans. Spencer Fournell, in his first year at Fullerton, will serve as the team's technical coordinator.

 

"Jeff is amazing when it comes to using data to draw up scouting reports," said Preston. "When he is away working with the U.S. national team, Spencer will step up and serve as the volunteer assistant coach."

 

Preston said she is counting on four players to serve as team leaders – senior hitters Tyler Fezzey and Felicia Marshall (feature story on Felicia here), junior setter Makenzi Abelman and sophomore middle blocker Haley Carmo.

 

"The mental aspect of the game is so important. Yes, players can get emotional, but it's all about how you can handle your emotions and get the best of yourself," said Preston. "Failure is going to happen, errors are going to happen. It's about how you overcome obstacles and adjust to change."