Meet Nicole Wentz

Club Director | Endless Momentum VBC

Founder & Executive Director | Empower Sports Academy

 

For nearly three decades, Nicole Wentz has dedicated her life to one mission: empowering athletes to reach their fullest potential. As the Founder and Executive Director of Empower Sports Academy, Nicole has built a reputation as one of the region’s premier technical skill-development coaches, combining elite collegiate coaching experience with a passion for mentoring athletes of all ages and abilities.

Whether she’s coaching a beginner learning the fundamentals or preparing an athlete for collegiate competition, Nicole is committed to developing technically sound players, confident leaders, and young people who understand the value of hard work, perseverance, and teamwork.

Elite Playing Career

A native of Long Island, New York, Nicole was recognized as one of the area’s top volleyball players, earning a spot on Long Island’s Top 50 high school athletes list. She competed nationally with the prestigious Long Island Big Apple Volleyball Club (LIBA VBC), then the only junior volleyball club on Long Island, where she developed the foundation for her collegiate and coaching career.

Nicole continued her playing career at Muhlenberg College, helping the Mules achieve a school-record streak of five consecutive 20-win seasons while earning her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. She later completed her master’s degree in Athletic Administration at Temple University, preparing for a career in coaching, leadership, and athletic administration.

Learning from the Best

Coach Wentz’s coaching philosophy was forged under two internationally respected leaders with deep ties to USA Volleyball—a coaching pedigree few volleyball instructors anywhere can claim.

She began her collegiate coaching career at Lehigh University under Patrick Nicholas, the winningest coach in program history. During his tenure, Nicholas guided Lehigh to its first Patriot League Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance while also serving USA Volleyball as Director of Tryouts for the Girls’ Junior and Youth National Teams and as an assistant coach for the USA Women’s National A-2 Team. Working alongside Nicholas gave Nicole firsthand exposure to the technical teaching methods, athlete evaluation systems, and championship standards used to develop America’s elite volleyball talent.

Nicole continued her coaching journey at Temple University under legendary coach Bob Bertucci, one of the most accomplished coaches in collegiate volleyball history. Bertucci amassed more than 900 career victories, served eight years on the USA Women’s National Team coaching staff—including as Head Coach at the World University Games—and authored six books on volleyball coaching. Widely regarded as one of the game’s greatest teachers, Bertucci’s influence helped shape Nicole’s philosophy of technical precision, intelligent training, and athlete-centered coaching.

Learning the game from two coaches with extensive USA Volleyball National Team experience provided Nicole with an exceptional foundation in biomechanics, technical skill progression, practice design, and high-performance athlete development. Those principles remain the cornerstone of every lesson, clinic, camp, and team practice she leads today.

Elite Training, Grounded in Fundamentals

Nicole is widely recognized as one of the region’s premier technical skill development coaches. Her ability to quickly identify mechanical inefficiencies, simplify complex skills, and help athletes make immediate corrections allows players to accelerate their development while building confidence at every stage of their journey.

She is CAP I Certified through USA Volleyball and trained in the internationally respected Gold Medal Squared coaching system. Throughout her career, Nicole has collaborated with USA National Team coaches, Olympians, and international-level athletes, continually refining her teaching methods to bring the highest level of instruction to every athlete she coaches.

While championships and accolades have marked her coaching career, Nicole believes her greatest success is helping young athletes develop a lifelong love of the game. Whether working with a beginner learning to serve or a collegiate-bound player preparing for the next level, her mission remains the same: inspire confidence, cultivate character, and show every athlete that dedication, perseverance, and hard work can open doors both on and off the court.

Building Championship Programs

Nicole’s collegiate coaching career spans NCAA Division I and Division III volleyball, where she has consistently built successful programs and developed championship-caliber athletes.

As Head Coach at Franklin & Marshall College, she led one of the nation’s premier Division III programs to a Centennial Conference Championship, a national ranking, multiple 20-win seasons, and NCAA Tournament appearances. Her teams became known for their disciplined, technically sound style of play and commitment to excellence both on and off the court.

Nicole later transformed the volleyball program at Keystone College, earning Conference Coach of the Year honors while guiding the Giants to back-to-back playoff appearances, championship contention, and numerous All-Conference, All-Region, and All-American athletes. She also served as Head Coach at SUNY Cortland, continuing her tradition of competitive excellence and athlete development.

Throughout her collegiate coaching career, Nicole has coached NCAA All-Americans, Conference Players of the Year, All-Conference performers, and nationally ranked teams. She has also served on the NCAA Division III Top 25 Ranking Committee, chaired the AVCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region Committee, and participated in the AVCA Division III All-America selection process—reflecting the respect she has earned throughout the volleyball community.

Nicole also served as the Head Girls’ Volleyball Coach at Scranton High School, starting the program in 2022 and leading them to four consecutive District Playoff appearances from 2022-2025. At Scranton HS, Coach Wentz coached two All-Region athletes and one All-District athlete. 

A Passion for Building Community

Nicole’s impact extends well beyond the volleyball court. She has always believed that sports have the power to bring people together and change lives.

In 2010, she founded Scranton Area Moms of Munchkins, creating one of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s largest parent networking communities dedicated to connecting families through children’s activities, educational opportunities, and community engagement.

Recognizing the need for more youth volleyball opportunities, Nicole founded the Abington Youth Volleyball League in 2015. What began as a small grassroots program has grown into one of the region’s most successful youth volleyball organizations, introducing hundreds of young athletes to the sport each year while emphasizing skill development, teamwork, and sportsmanship.

Nicole later founded Endless Momentum Volleyball Club, which has quickly become one of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s premier junior volleyball clubs. Through exceptional coaching, innovative programming, and a commitment to athlete development, Endless Momentum has earned regional and national recognition while helping countless athletes achieve their dreams of competing at the collegiate level.

Empower Sports Academy

Nicole’s vision reached its next chapter with the creation of Empower Sports Academy—a premier indoor sports facility dedicated to volleyball, tennis, pickleball, sports performance, and athlete development.

Her vision extends far beyond creating great athletes. She is passionate about building confidence, developing leaders, strengthening families, and creating a positive environment where athletes of all ages and skill levels can thrive.

Today, every lesson, clinic, league, camp, and tournament at Empower Sports Academy reflects Nicole’s unwavering commitment to excellence. Families who choose Empower Sports Academy benefit from decades of elite collegiate coaching experience, proven USA Volleyball teaching principles, and a philosophy centered on technical mastery, character development, and empowering every athlete to achieve more than they ever imagined.