Coach Nikki Vaporis
My name is Nikki Vaporis and I am the Co-Owner and CEO of Aspire Higher Volleyball, LLC. My journey with this sport began in 1986. I began playing in middle school and went on to play during my high school years at Tarpon Springs High School. By my senior year I had accumulated over 100 wins and finished my last season as a co-captain of a Class AAA State Championship team that finished with a record of 32 wins and 0 losses.
After high school I accepted a volleyball/academic scholarship to Teikyo Westmar University in Le Mars, Iowa. Upon my return to Florida, I accepted a coaching position at Tarpon Springs High School as an assistant coach and remained there for two seasons. I then went on to accept an assistant coaching position at Pasco-Hernando Community College.
In 2005 I accepted a coaching position at Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa, Florida. I remained there for three seasons finishing as the Head Junior Varsity Volleyball Coach. During that same time I coached for Tampa Bay Juniors Volleyball Club through July of 2007. My 2007 team qualified and participated in the Junior Olympics. In addition, I worked as the Coaching Director and Head Coach of Aspire Higher Volleyball beginning in 2005 to the present.
In August of 2007 I accepted the position of Head Junior Varsity and Head Varsity Volleyball Coach at Braden River High School in Bradenton, FL. Currently, I am working to establish a strong, State Championship contending, volleyball program. We finished our first season together second in our district. In 2008 we finished our season as Regional Quarter Final Champions after defeating Haines City High School in a match where my team competed with close to a collegiate level performance - shocking and stunning our competition and those who were there to observe. It was this defining moment that made me fully realize that the dream I had back in the mid 1990's (providing professional instruction for a living) was not only my true calling but that I had the ability to turn mediocre players into phenomenal players.
After all my years of playing, coaching at the middle school level, the high school level, the collegiate level and the Junior Olympic level my journey on the indoor circuit came to an end. "Once you make it to the Junior Olympics on the USAV circuit there really is no higher level of achievement and I realized that I had so much more to offer to a much larger and more diverse population than what a single school or club could offer". It was at this time that I (along side Eli Logue) turned all of my focus to building a permanent sand volleyball facility - The Aspire Higher Volleyball SuperCenter located in Winter Haven, FL.
Many people have asked me to return to the indoor circuit to coach a team of my own and or to train their coaching staff, I have had to decline as my passion is in helping create phenomenal individuals, not commanding a team. Many people have also asked me, "Why a sand volleyball facility and not an indoor facility"? Simple answer - training in the sand makes for a stronger more well rounded indoor player - everyone can benefit from sand training and along with the NCAA endorsement of collegiate sand volleyball facilities such as ours are vital to the success of the sport. It is my personal goal to help implement sand volleyball as a high school club sport here in Polk County and help usher in a new era in volleyball.
Since the creation of Aspire Higher Volleyball in 2005, we have remained diligent in focusing on the individual first, the athlete second. It has been my experience that if the coach utilizes this method, the athlete will perform. It is the role of the coach to motivate, support, encourage, and inspire. Finally, it is a coaches’ responsibility to teach. Focusing on teaching strong fundamental skills has proved to be successful. It is my responsibility to deliver all of these necessary components to the athlete utilizing several teaching styles. Above all else, I believe that I have a responsibility to also convey and teach several of the same life lessons that I learned, some of which were character defining, through this great sport. Coaching volleyball is my passion and my calling. Whether the athlete’s goal is learning the basics or securing a college scholarship, I am committed to the success of the athlete and the development of a stronger individual.
It is my intention and responsibility, as the CEO, to educate the coaches at Aspire Higher Volleyball in these philosophies to ensure the highest rate of success for the individual. | 
