LWR Mustang commits to Owls

LAKEWOOD RANCH — With tiny beads of sweat glistening on her face, Nicole Grant stared out at the Gulf of Mexico and wondered what exactly she had been thinking.

She hated the heat. Not to mention the time and commitment that comes from learning a new sport — even if it’s just another version of the same sport she had been playing most of her life.

For the better part of five years, the Lakewood Ranch High middle hitter had spent much of her time serving up aces and racking up kills while basking in the air conditioning.

But in summer 2013, at the urging of Joe Rohr and Kristen Batt, her Coastline Volleyball Club coaches, Grant hit the sand for her first beach volleyball session.

And although she wasn’t big into beach volleyball early on, Rohr and Batt helped Grant get past her initial reservations about the heat and amount of work involved and instead focus on the enjoyment that comes from playing the sport.

“I definitely had to work my way into loving it,” Grant says. “Now I like it better (than indoor) because it’s more of a challenge, because there are only two people. It’s more interesting that way.”

Now, Grant is prepared to elevate her game to next level after recently verbally committing to play beach volleyball for Florida Atlantic University next year.

Grant, who wanted to stay in Florida, chose FAU over Stetson for its campus, the coaching staff and the instant bond she felt with her future teammates.

“It feels like all of my hard work has paid off,” Grant says. “My dream of playing Division I is coming true.”

During her second beach volleyball season, Grant competed in beach volleyball tournaments across the state. Most notably, Grant won the 18s division of the East Coast Beach All-Star Championship and the 18 open division of the Dig the Beach Series tournament on Siesta Key.

Grant returned to the gym in August for her final indoor volleyball season. Through the first month of the season, Grant has helped lead the Lady Mustangs to a perfect district record with three district games left on the schedule.

Grant will seek to lead the Lady Mustangs to their fourth straight district championship and another berth in the Final Four before turning her attention back to the sand where she’ll focus on improving her short game.