#40Strong

At the Youngkin Center on the campus of Rice University, head soccer coach Nicky Adams ’01 and head volleyball coach Genny Volpe ‘95 share a hallway.

They also share a common background, one that dates back from their time in Aggieland to their time in what’s affectionately called the “Aggie Hallway” at Rice.

The combination of the two former A&M standouts have led the Owls to a C-USA title apiece, 40 all-conference selections and maybe most importantly, 18 C-USA All-Academic Selections. They have posted a combined 10 winning seasons, and sit with winning records in 2014 (as of Sept. 13).

The influence of the “Aggie Hallway” even expands to Rice’s assistant coaches, as Allison Martino ’08 joins Adams on the soccer staff; former A&M volunteer assistant Zheng Xiang and Keith Anderson ’14 are on Volpe’s volleyball staff. 

Both got their starts as standout athletes at A&M—and helped build the legacy of their respective programs at A&M—the same way they are building the legacies of their own programs at Rice.

Nicky (Thrasher) Adams was the starting forward for the Texas A&M Soccer team from 1997 to 2001 and a member of the 1997 Big 12 Championship team, the 1997 and 2001 Big 12 Tournament title teams, as well as the first team to make it to the Elite 8.

During her time at Texas A&M, she was honored with several awards and was a Hermann Trophy Nominee as the Division I women’s soccer player of the year for two consecutive years. Adams was named NSCAA All-American in ‘99 and ‘01, the Big 12 Tournament’s MVP in ’98, along with Texas A&M Offensive MVP in ‘98, ‘99, and Co-MVP in ‘01. She currently ranks third in career points (140), second in goals (57), and fifth in assists (26) for Texas A&M and her 391 shots rank first in Texas A&M history.

Adams graduated with a B.S. in kinesiology in 2001. After graduation, she was selected second in the 2002 draft by the Atlanta Beat of the Women’s United Soccer Association.

“One of the things I took away [from being a student-athlete] is that you have to have a strong work ethic,” said Adams. “I like to be organized and ready to go when it’s time to train, and you can’t do that without putting in the work.”

Genny (Wood) Volpe was one of the best defensive players in the Southwest Conference during her playing days, playing as a setter and outside hitter, and still is the Aggies’ career leader in matches and sets played. Volpe helped the Aggies to a 27-8 record and the first of 13 straight NCAA Tournament appearances in her senior year of 1993--Laurie Corbelli’s first as head coach. Volpe still ranks in the top 10 at Texas A&M in career digs (1,403), aces (123), and assists (2,309). She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 1995.

“A&M is so special because of the support of the school, community and the 12^th Man. You realize how important that support is, because you can’t do it by yourself,” Volpe said. “When I was a student-athlete at A&M, we had undeniable support from everyone, even though we went through some rocky times.”

Following her professional career, Adams went on to join the soccer coaching staff at Rice. In her first year the Owls won as many games as the program did in its first two years combined. In 2004, she led Rice to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. She has excelled in recruiting the top-tier signing classes in the central region and have been rated among the best in Conference USA.

Adams was promoted to head coach in 2010. In her second year the Owls won the Conference USA regular-season title. She has coached many players to all-conference honors, all-central region accolades, and all-region status.

Adams is now in her fourth season as the Rice head soccer coach and her 12^th overall at the University, leading the Owls to a 36-27-16 record (as of Sept. 12).

“Being part of a winning program at Texas A&M has helped in trying to create the same atmosphere of a winning program at Rice,” said Adams. “I had some amazing coaches at Texas A&M, and what I’ve learned from them has helped me be able to build something here.”

Adams’ XI is off to a great start in 2014, starting 3-1-2, with wins over LSU & Vanderbilt and a tie at Arkansas, and are unbeaten in their last five matches.

After a stop at SMU, Volpe returned to A&M as an assistant coach from 2001-03, prior to becoming head coach at Rice in 2004. Since taking over at Rice, Volpe has led the Owls to a 185-133 record (as of Sept. 13), and three NCAA Tournament appearances—as well as a C-USA Tournament Championship in 2009. Volpe has led 29 of her players to all-conference honors, produced eight All-Americans, and as a particular point of pride for the former setter, produced two C-USA Setters of the Year.

The lessons Volpe learned as a student-athlete still apply to her, both on and off the court.

“There’s nothing like the experience of being a student-athlete, because you dedicate so much of your time and effort to it, and you really put yourself out there” said Volpe. “The best lesson I learned is to be fearless, because the worst thing that could happen is that you could fail—but even then, at least you tried.”

Her Owls have played with the fearlessness she tries to instill this season, posting a wins over Connecticut and defeating Marquette on the road. Rice is 8-3 at the time of press, and has won its last six matches.

“In daily life, you compete every day for your job, for everything,” said Volpe. “Being an athlete prepares you for the competition of life.”