Charlotte, NC - After leading Dallas College - Eastfield to a national championship in his first full season as head coach, Phil Nickel has been named the 2023 NJCAA Division III Volleyball Coach of the Year.

Coach Nickel was hired one month into the 2022 season, the Harvester Bees were able to win 8 games. Dallas-Eastfield entered the 2023 season unranked and managed to pull off one of the most incredible seasons in recent history. They are the first undefeated national champion in NJCAA Division III Volleyball history.

"We are super excited to have Coach Nickel lead our program. He has done an unbelievable job the past 14 months and has turned the program back in the right direction," Dallas College-Eastfield athletic director Anthony Fletcher said.

The Harvester Bees held a perfect 35-0 record on the season. They jumped from unranked to the No. 9 ranking in the week 1 poll and made another jump to No. 2 the following week. On September 25th, Dallas-Eastfield was named the No. 1 team in Division III Volleyball and stayed there all the way until their national title.

Nickel's Harvester Bees only surrendered six sets throughout the entire regular season and postseason. The team led the nation in kills, assists, and points per set. Dallas-Eastfield had one of the nation's most deadly offensive attacks, and ranked in the top ten in the nation in: kills, kills per set, hitting percentage, assists, and assists per set.

At the national tournament, Nickel was named the 2023 Heidi Hutchinson Coach of the Tournament following leading Dallas-Eastfield to a national title. Harvester Bees outside hitter Azoria Davis was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player. Two more Harvester Bees were named to the All-Touranment Team.

"He has done his job with passion, grace, hard work, and true dedication.  Coach Nickel is the ultimate true professional collegiate coach. We are super excited for the program's success and are looking forward to the future of Dallas College Eastfield Volleyball," Fletcher said.