Nikki Shade begins her sixth season as the associate head coach for the USF volleyball program. Hired on April 26, 2004, she was the first of two hires for first-year Head Coach Claire Lessinger with ties to the University of Florida.  

Shade, who played with Lessinger at Florida for five seasons, came from the University of Houston where she served as an assistant coach for four years under Head Coach Bill Walton, making her the second USF coach to come to Tampa via Houston. Previous Head Coach Nancy Mueller was an assistant under Walton from 1995-98 before taking over the USF program in 1999.

“I feel so privileged to have Nikki Shade working with me,” Lessinger said. “She is easily one of the most highly-touted assistant coaches in the country. She will be a vital part of taking this program to the next level. Her strengths are endless, and I am thrilled about the experience she will bring to all aspects of the job. She is an extraordinary player and a workhorse in the office.”

A setter for the Gators from 1993-97, Shade “quarterbacked” the Gators to three NCAA Final Four appearances (1993, 1996, 1997) and one Elite Eight appearance (1995).

After leading the SEC in assists for two seasons from 1996-97, she was a two-time consensus first team all-conference selection and an all-district and all-region selection as well. She completed her collegiate career ranked fourth in assists with 3,429 and averaged 12.9 assists her last two years with the team. She once passed out 73 assists and led UF to a 3-0 sweep of nationally-ranked UCLA. A versatile athlete, she also set the school record for block assists in a single match with 11.

In addition to her athletic accolades, Shade was a force in the classroom, earning numerous scholarships throughout her career, including the NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship in 1998. She was named to the All-SEC Academic Honor Roll in 1995, 1996 and 1997, and was a GTE CoSIDA Academic All-American in 1996 and 1997.

“Playing in college, and particularly being coached by an excellent staff, has given me insight into how to train and motivate players,” Shade said. “After experiencing various situations as a collegiate athlete over five years, the transition from player to coach was very smooth. Also, I feel fortunate to have begun my coaching career learning from one of the most knowledgeable and well-respected coaches in collegiate volleyball.”

Prior to joining the staff at Houston, Shade worked as the volleyball administrative camp director for the University of Florida Athletic Association. In addition, she served as a personal volleyball instructor. She performed both jobs while doing post-graduate work in exercise and sports sciences at Florida.

A native of New Orleans, La., she attended Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas. She led her high school team to a 41-1 district record during her varsity career, four-straight district championships and was named all-state by the Texas Coaches Association.

As a club player, Shade was invited to the U.S. Junior Elite Camp where she was chosen to serve as a team captain for the Junior National Team. She played in the 1991, 1992 and 1993 Junior Olympics and was named a World Scholar-Athlete in 1993.

Shade graduated from Florida in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in engineering sciences with a concentration in biomedical engineering and a minor in biomechanics.