There is little that is similar between the topography of Wolfville, N.S., and Sudbury, Ont.
Located in the midst of the Annapolis Valley, the Maritime setting is home to the region’s richest agricultural base, an area where fertile farmlands, salt marshes and broad sandy beaches abound.
By contrast, the Nickel City carries that name proudly — and for good reason — with rocky terrain to be found pretty much in each and every corner of the Greater Sudbury landscape.
And yet the town of 5,000 located roughly 100 kilometres northwest of Halifax, the home of Acadia University, continues to lure elite Sudbury athletes eastward, most notably for women’s volleyball.
The defending AUS (Atlantic University Sport) champions, Acadia U. took in three Northern Chill Volleyball Club recruits in as many years with the recent announcement talented Champlain left-side hitter Olivia Nicholls had committed to join siblings Alexia Lemay-Evans (third year) and Mia Lemay-Evans (first year) at the picturesque post-secondary locale.
Clearly, the school and the area speaks to Sudbury teens.
“It’s a smaller town, which I really liked and everyone would smile at you and ask how your day was going, even if they don’t know you,” recalled Nicholls of her campus visit, discussing the lure of the Axewomen’s program that sees Lo-Ellen Park graduate Vanessa Chorkawy serving as interim head coach in 2024-2025. “It felt like a family, a community.”
Still, for as much as the Sudbury District Secondary Schools’ Athletic Association (SDSSAA) connections are strong with an Acadia team that sits at 6-4 at the Christmas break, the 17-year-old who stands 6-2 wanted to ensure her final decision would be based on much more than having friends on the team.
“I found that it helped knowing they were there, but I tried not to focus on that and really make my decision based on everything else,” said Nicholls.
Always blessed with far more than average height, the Team Ontario representative has seen her volleyball skills evolve notably during the course of her high school career, with boatloads of time spent on the court with both the Champlain Requins and the Northern Chill.
“At the beginning of high school, I still had trouble reading the ball (on serve receive) and getting the angle because I would swing my arms a lot,” she said. “It helped me a lot to just relax and follow the ball and be more confident in my abilities.”
The tutorship of Chill coach Sheldon Root and others has seen Nicholls grow to add layers to what was pretty much always an obvious fit at middle, her versatility hopefully opening the door to suiting up in what is generally viewed as a more prominent all-around role.
“Middle is a great position, but I am really enjoying the back court aspect of left side,” said Nicholls. “The transition to left side is going well because I really enjoy defense. I like to think that it helps that I am taller, in a way, because I can reach more.
“But I do have to remind myself to stay lower, remain low to the court,” Nicholls added.
While it would have been difficult not to notice the young woman who was recognized as the Most Improved Player (for her team) at the Chill Evening of Excellence in the spring of 2022, Nicholls knew full well that her skill-set needed to elevate in order to make her U Sports dreams a reality.
“I was still working hard to get better at everything,” she stressed. “There is always something you can improve on. I was trying to do my best, training as much as I could, getting the most touches I could – basically going for every opportunity to get better.”
Given the flow of local talent to Acadia, it's no wonder that Nicholls feels well-served in terms of knowing where the focus might lie as she spends her final year at Champlain getting ready for her rookie year in the AUS.
“The coaching staff there are friends with Sheldon (Root) – they talk a lot,” said Nicholls. “They have conversations about how I am developing and stuff.”
The homework, between now and next September, is clear. Nicholls is aware of what needs to be done but is realistic enough to recognize the challenges that freshmen face when making the jump to this next level.
“I want to work really hard during the season and the summer to continue my development,” she said. “If the coaches think I am not ready to play at the start of first year, then I will ask questions, see how I can improve, find out what workouts I can do.
“I will be okay with it.”
Olivia Nicholls, after all, will be in the Annapolis Valley, playing volleyball – and that is a lure that appeals to Sudbury girls in a very special way.
Randy Pascal is a sportswriter in Greater Sudbury. Pursuit is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.