Nicole McCray
Nicole McCray
Title: Head Coach
Phone: 903-693-2006
Email: nmccray@panola.edu

 

Panola College hires former NJCAA Region XIV Volleyball Coach of the Year and University of Florida Hall of Famer, Nicole McCray, as the new Head Volleyball Coach.  Coach Nicole McCray has taken over the reins at Panola College for the second time because she has spent the 2012-2018 seasons at White Oak High School. 

Coach McCray will become head coach over a program that she helped build into a national power when she took over in 2008 and went on to lead the Fillies to their first NJCAA National Volleyball Tournament in 2009.  McCray received her bachelor’s from the University of Florida where she enjoyed one of the best careers in school history. She was the 2000 SEC Player of the Year, a four-time All-SEC honoree, a two-time honorable mention All-American and a second-team All-American in 2002 when she helped lead the Gators to a Final Four appearance. McCray was also the recipient of the Ben Hill Griffin Award in 2002, which honors the top female athlete 0at The University of Florida.

After leaving Florida, McCray played professional volleyball in Puerto Rico for a year before returning to Gainesville, Florida to begin her coaching career.  McCray was the first coach in program history at Berry College where she led them to a second-place finish in the conference in her first year of coaching. McCray went on to join Panola College as head coach from 2008 to 2013. During that time, McCray was selected the NJCAA Region XIV and District Coach of the Year. McCray has spent the past 6 years as the Head Coach at White Oak ISD where she was named District 17AAA coach in 2014, 2015, and 2016.  In 2019 McCray was also named Region XIV District Coach of the Year and led her team to the NJCAA National Tournament again where her team finished 13th in the country.  "We are excited about having Nicole McCray back with Panola College.  There is no doubt that she will maintain a high standard for our Volleyball program on and off the court.  We welcome her back with open arms," says Don Clinton, Vice President of Student Services at Panola College.