Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Daily Hoot: August 20, 2012
8/20/2012 12:00:00 AM | General
Aug. 20, 2012
Welcome to the Daily Hoot, the official blog of FAU Athletics. This blog will feature news from around the FAU Athletics department including posts by athletes, coaches and administrators. For our first blog posting, we catch up with FAU head volleyball coach Fernanda Nelson. Nelson came to FAU after four years as an assistant at Florida Gulf Coast. We got her impressions from her first two and a half months on the job.
Q: This has been a very hectic summer for you. You were hired in June and had less than two months to get everything in place before the start of preseason camp. What was that process like?
FN: "It was crazy. For the first three weeks (after getting hired), I was driving back and forth between Boca and Fort Myers every day. I found my house here in Boca and I had six hours to get the house ready before the movers showed up. At the same time, I was getting my staff together and also recruiting so it was a difficult process."
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Q:What was your first impression of the team on the court?
FN: "I saw a group of girls ready to work, with an unbelievable work ethic who wanted to turn the program around in a hurry. As a first time head coach, I couldn't ask for a better feedback system than the group I have to work with."
How has preseason camp gone so far?
FN: "Camp has gone very well, we have had to adjust the schedule a little bit to give the girls some time to get adjusted to the new intensity level. But I am very happy with the effort."
Has there been one player who has stood out to you so far?
FN: "In my entire career as a player and as a coach, I have never had a captain like Cintia Nightingale. She's a player who has the respect of all of her teammates and who leads by example each and every time she takes the court. A true leader."
What are your goals for the team this season?
FN: "For us to play hard and improve every time we're on the court and to never accept beating ourselves." The FAU volleyball team opens the 2012 season on Friday, August 31 at the Stetson Classic in DeLand, Fla.
