While the varsity girls’ last game at the Waterville tournament, against New Ulm Cathedral on Saturday, was a positive way to end the day, it also was the 400th career varsity match win as a head coach for Dave Nixon.
There are only a handful of volleyball coaches around the state with that many victories.
Nixon’s formula for success is a simple one, at least at face value: Coaching for a long time plus coaching a lot of talented players.
“I’ve been very fortunate to have really good players, a lot of all-state caliber players over my years as coaching. You need players, and you need players who are willing to put in the work and are really good athletes. I’ve been fortunate to coach a lot of players whose favorite or best sport is volleyball, or they are a three-sport athlete and are willing to put in that extra time in the offseason.”
But being a successful head coach takes more than players, he said.
“I couldn’t do it alone. I’ve had a lot of good assistant coaches and family support.”
Nixon, who took the head coaching spot at Cleveland in the Fall of 2022, has coached varsity high school volleyball for over 25 years, including 17 years as head coach at Le Sueur-Henderson and five years as head coach at Mankato Loyola. He also coached at various levels at Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial for three years before becoming a head coach.
His love for the game keeps him on the court.
“Nothing beats the game strategy of what do we have to do to beat that opponent across the net from us. I love to be a part of a team that competes at whatever it is. This game has been good to me because I have worked hard at it, and it has been very rewarding. I never get sick of being in the gym, so that helps too.”
Nixon, who is originally from Brooklyn Center, got his start in volleyball playing on a men’s club team when he was a student at Minnesota State University, Mankato. He currently teaches math in the St. Peter school system.
When he is not on a volleyball court, he enjoys watching and coaching his three sons in their sports, playing adult softball and golf.
Above: Head coach Dave Nixon and the varsity volleyball team: Front row: Jocelyn Kortuem, Delaney Thompson, Savannah Meyer, Taylor McCabe and Luci Blaschko. Back row: Assistant coach Bree Meyer, manager Mollie Bowman, manager Olivia Reinhardt, Addi Holden, Maya Lassiter, Sophie Perkins, Jocelyn Bartell, Anika Sathoff, Evelyn Keltgen, Ava Hahn, Lacey McCabe, Melia Sathoff and Maile Meissner.