California Golden Bears Athletics

BERKELEY – Nicole Walthall didn't exactly fit the profile of your typical volunteer assistant coach when she joined Cal's beach volleyball program for its inception in 2014.

While most volunteer assistants typically aren't far removed from their days as a college student, Walthall was an accomplished lawyer, wife and mom when former head coach Rich Feller asked her to help get the program on its feet.

What Walthall went on to do for the Golden Bear program was also atypical.

Walthall went well beyond the duties and expectations of a volunteer assistant coach, both in terms of time served and tangible contributions. After four seasons that have resulted in tremendous growth and stability, Walthall finally decided to step aside and let the program continue to evolve without her.

"Without Nicole, it would have been another couple years before we really got the program where it could be competitive," Feller said. "She advanced the development of the program incredibly. It wouldn't have happened as fast had it been just the indoor (volleyball) staff and a random volunteer who wasn't a true coach."

Most volunteer assistants serve a year or two before moving on, a revolving door of sorts that is a product of the unpaid position. But Walthall joined the program during a unique time – a moment in Cal Athletics history that had to be done right, and Walthall was the perfect candidate to help ensure that happened.

Walthall was a longtime recreational player at the Clark Kerr Sand Courts and season-ticket holder for the Cal indoor program before Feller met her in 2013 when he started bringing the indoor team out to the sand to begin exposing the players to the beach game. The Bears had plans to start the beach program in 2014 using mostly student-athletes from the indoor team, so they started playing some "experimental" matches the season before to prepare.

Feller admits that he and assistant coach Jennifer Dorr didn't know much about the sand game, and since Walthall was around, she offered some tips.

"When they started coming out more frequently, I actually wrote Rich an email and told him I was a longtime beach player and fan of the indoor team," Walthall said. "They are also two very different sports even though they share the same name. I told him that beach volleyball is my favorite sport and Cal is my favorite school, and any help I can give to help getting started, let me know."

Feller gladly welcomed helpful hints from Walthall, who received her legal studies degree from Cal in 1988. Walthall started coming around the courts more in an unofficial capacity.

Finally, when it was time to officially start the program in earnest, Feller offered her the job as volunteer assistant.

"Finally I said, 'I can't pay you, but would you like to become a coach and help us build a program?'" Feller said.

Walthall jumped at the chance for two reasons – her love of the sport and her love of Cal.

"I wanted the sport to happen, and I wanted to get it established at Cal," Walthall said. "I thought I could be a stable person in the program. I wanted to play whatever role was necessary to make sure we kept the momentum that we had from the beginning and it would become a fully-fledged varsity sport."

Walthall may have been a volunteer, but she was treated and perceived like a full-time assistant. Feller leaned on her expertise, and it didn't stop when Meagan Owusu took over as head coach in 2016.

"I probably told Nicole once a week that she did above and beyond what her job description entailed," Owusu said. "She's one of those individuals who isn't OK with a mediocre performance or a mediocre anything. If she sees something that is subpar, she will do anything to make it better, even if it's way too much effort."

The reasons Walthall decided to step down are because of what she helped build. Cal beach volleyball has evolved into a fully-functioning program, and all of the demands that go along with that.

"It outpaced me," Walthall said. "But that's good news."

Walthall said she will still be a regular attendee at Cal's matches – she just won't be sitting in the corner of the court anymore providing direction.

"The experience surpassed my expectations in the amount of work and effort, and also the amount of enjoyment I got out of it," Walthall said. "It was a very rewarding experience. I stayed longer than I thought I was going to. It was just too hard to leave until now."