North Texas is considered a hotbed for volleyball talent in the state — with a good portion of that talent in Parker County.
Aledo, for example, advanced to the Class 5A Division I state semifinals last season. Weatherford, Brock, Peaster, and Springtown have also had their respective moments among the best in Texas.
Nick Gay has been a part of two of those powerhouses as the former head coach of the Weatherford Lady Roos and the current head coach of the Brock Lady Eagles. His wife, Claire Gay, is the head coach of the Aledo Ladycats.
To focus on the local talent and keep it local, Nick created Athletic Performance Volleyball in the spring of 2023. The club’s mission is to provide athletes with high-level technical skills training and instruction in a learning environment that fosters personal growth and develops a passion for the game of volleyball.
APV’s facility is located at 425 S. FM 1187 in Aledo so players do not have to travel a long distance. It features four full volleyball courts, quality volleyball equipment, a reception and healthy snack area, a mezzanine lounge, fitness equipment, spacious bathrooms and changing rooms, a conference room, and more.
“I had been one of the directors of a highly successful club at TAV (Texas Advantage Volleyball) for three years and coaching in the NTR (North Texas Region) for 15 years. After talking with the TAV leadership, we decided to part ways in a very amicable and friendly way,” Nick said. “They are still some of my best coaching friends and people I lean on for advice.
“With that being said, I knew we needed some more area/local type teams and not the national type teams we had been forming, so Athletic Performance Volleyball was formed.”
APV draws from all parts of the west Metroplex area, including the counties of Parker, Tarrant, Johnson, Palo Pinto, Young, Jack, Wise, Hood, Erath, Ellis, and Hill.
“We have had kids come from Grandview to Wichita Falls to Abilene to Graford to Arlington,” Nick said.
It didn’t take long for APV to make its mark nationally, as the 13 National Black age group won a national USA Volleyball championship June 21-24 in Kansas City. Nick said it is one of the hardest divisions in USAVB.
The team’s head coach is Susan Clifford, a former Texas Wesleyan University standout. Her assistant is ex-TCU great Julia Adams.
The team actually double qualified for USA Nationals. They won the Liberty Division of the Music City qualifier in New Orleans, along with finishing third in the Lone Star Qualifier in Dallas.
“This has been a special team from day one. I have coached a lot of teams, and they instantly had a bond and a goal they wanted to achieve together,” Clifford said. “Our goal was to qualify for Nationals. I would say they met their goal and then some!
“I am extremely proud of each and every one of these girls, to see their hard work pay off was one of the best feelings as a coach. I haven’t seen a group fight through ups and downs in a game and find a way to win like this team did. It was an amazing experience and one that we will never forget — for me it’s extra special getting to experience this with my daughter (Harley Clifford of Aledo) on the team.”
The squad’s roster also included:
Aledo — Hayden Stone, McKinlee Hunstable, and Maci Tucker.
Brock — Landri Brim and Alexa Davis.
Burleson — Brooklyn Maison, Tenley Newton, and Laurie Collins.
In winning the national championship, APV posted a 9-2 record in the tournament, topping 35 other teams in their division.
“These girls will be heading into eighth grade with a wealth of experience playing at a high level,” Clifford said. “Volleyball is a game of mental toughness and momentum.
“They have competed at one of the highest levels, for multiple days. To be able to sustain the grind and mental toughness during these high stress level moments is something they will bring to their teams and to take to high school when the time comes.
“I think I am still in shock and disbelief. There are a lot of great players that have come and gone and not many get to say they won a national championship.”
Other teams at APV that had success was the outgoing 18s team.
“This was the team that kind of gave APV a name, and then the 13s put an exclamation point and stamp on the APV name,” Nick said.
The 18s had qualified for nationals four years straight with two top-five finishes and two top-12 finishes.
Outgoing 18s players now playing in college are:
Aledo — Kinley Elms, Lamar University; Ella Meador, University of Texas-El Paso.
Boswell — Alena Lopez, Weatherford College.
Chisholm Trail — Kaci Wade, Bryan College.
Graford — Kamryn Glover, University of Central Oklahoma.
Granbury — Ally McCabe, Weatherford College.
Joshua — Morgan Collier, Weatherford College.
Southwest Christian — Mary Gracy King, West Texas A&M University.
Weatherford — Maris Boop, Arlington Baptist University.
APV has teams from ages 12-18. However, they have had athletes from age seven play on their 12s team, depending on their skill and work ethic.
“We range from having a total of 16-20 teams in any given year throughout the age groups. We are also committed to ensuring that every Athletic Performance Volleyball athlete has a positive experience that fuels their love of volleyball and competition,” Nick said. “APV strives to be the go-to volleyball club from the first touch on the ball to the last touch as a prep-volleyball player.”
Each team has an average of nine to 11 players.
“Last year we had 178 athletes and this year we will have 182 athletes in our program,” Nick said.
Nick said APV breaks their season down into three segments that allow for the maximum amount of reps in positions and circumstances throughout the season.
“We have a sit-down mid-season evaluation with parents present to make sure all are in alignment with the coach, player, and parents. We keep a smaller amount of kids on our teams to allow each athlete to grow through experience on the court,” Nick said. “I think a big thing about our club that is different is that we have teachers as coaches. We have multiple area head coaches in high school and colleges on our staff and throughout our teams. We also have a lot of current or college athletes.
“So they teach skills, mentor, and lead our teams with passion and development at the forefront of the club. Our motto is that we teach technical skills training, allow for personal growth, and growing the athletes passion for the game of volleyball is our number one priority.”
Nick himself is one of the head coaches, leading the 15 National Black team, with assistant Jordan Whitworth. Clifford, Adams, and their players have now moved up to 14 National Black.
Head coach of the 16 National Black is Tim Reimann with assistant Keller Warren. The 17 National Black has head coach Sarah Haeussler with assistant Karlyn Dickens.
Tryouts recently started for the 2025-2026 season.
“If you want to reach out, please do to start your journey,” Nick said. “We have a fantastic Assistant Director Misty Denbow who can answer any and every question and we will find the perfect spot for your athlete.”
For more information, contact misty@athleticperformancevb.com or nick@athleticperformancevb.com.
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