Club Catalyst volleyball program founder Phil Nickel could not help but beam with pride musing about what the future holds for Fort Bend Christian Academy graduate Zoee Granville.
Nickel believes Granville, who earned her diploma from the private Christian school in Sugar Land last month, will easily make a new home more than 500 miles away at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.
“[I’m] very excited for her,” Nickel told Texas Scorecard. “She was looking for something very specific. She was looking for a smaller school, Christian-based that fit her upbringing and her personal beliefs. She was able to able to find that and continue playing volleyball.”
He explained that the program is “big [here] on emphasizing that players find a place that’s a good fit for them.”
“I was very happy for her,” said Nickel. “I find it very rewarding that she was able to find something that fit so well with what she was looking for both academically and athletically.”
Granville played middle blocker for Club Catalyst’s 18 Green team and participated in several qualifiers, including the Tour of Texas. She was under Nickel’s tutelage for a year during her junior year.
At FBCA, she was instrumental in shaping the school into one of the top TAPPS teams in the state over the past four years. Her efforts earned her All-District and Academic All-State honors.
“She’s a hard worker, a good player, and a good teammate,” said Nickel. “Everybody likes her. She’s one of those kids everyone gets along with. She’s very coachable and the kind of player you want… She’s the kind of player that every team needs.”
He added that Granville is “the glue that keeps everyone together.”
Athleticism runs in the Granville family. Father Billy played linebacker for the Duke University Blue Devils and the Cincinnati Bengals and was a member of the Houston Texans while mother Gretchen was a collegiate athlete.
“They are the most humble, caring, wonderful people you’ll ever meet,” said Nickel. “Zoee is a special young lady that we feel very fortunate to have had in our program.”
