Flames field hockey coach is loved by all

 “I love her.” 

This is what redshirt sophomore and defensive center-mid Kendra Jones said about her field hockey coach, Nikki Parsley-Blocker. And she certainly has reason to show this level of admiration. 

In just her second year as head coach of the Lady Flames, Parsley-Blocker guided her team to a 13-6 overall record and a school-best 6-1 record against Big East conference opponents. Despite these impressive achievements, Parsley-Blocker puts a premium on first creating a culture where players will be motivated to give their all in order to glorify God with their talents. 

“I think giving this generation of student athletes the ‘why’ behind what you’re doing creates buy-in, because if they understand that intuitively, I’ve found that they will follow me a lot of places,” Parsley-Blocker said. “I don’t really think it works to just be like, ‘this is what you’re doing’ and ‘go.’ … These kids want to understand the ‘why.’” 

Parsley-Blocker’s mentality of giving players a deeper motivation to succeed has drawn praise from her players. Jones said that Parsley-Blocker hosts Bible studies with the players and will hold impromptu conversations in her office if players want to talk about anything from improving their tactical game to discussing whatever is concerning them in their personal lives. 

Junior outside-mid Merich Frizzell also believes that this approach of being a personable friend and an intense coach have been vital to the program’s success under Parsley-Blocker’s leadership. 

“Coach Nikki is a very passionate, intense coach who loves what she does,” Frizzell said. “If we need to have time to pray, she sets that time aside. But at the same time that she is sensitive and cares about all of us, she’s very intense on the field.” 

This culture has created an atmosphere where the players and the team are thriving. Four players earned spots on the All-Big East Team, and this group was highlighted by Offensive Player of the Year, senior forward Agueda Moroni. This past season, the Lady Flames defeated four ranked opponents, finished 15th in the final NCAA RPI ranking, and went to the Big East conference championship for the third consecutive year. 

Although the Lady Flames narrowly lost the game, 5-3, to the University of Connecticut and missed out on qualifying for the national tournament, Jones is carrying a positive mindset heading into the offseason. She is optimistic that the lessons that coaches and players learned from this season, as well as how Parsley-Blocker thrived in her position, will translate to greater success in the years to come. 

“This season was definitely a big growing year as a step for us and her as a coach,” Jones said. “I think her second year as a head coach she really was able to step up and make the changes from the previous year to make us better this year on the field and off the field too.” 

Parsley-Blocker is equally excited about what the Lady Flames could accomplish next year. She believes that the Lady Flames’ ability to compete and defeat some of the top schools in the country and their desire to excel will yield positive results in 2019. 

“I think that (this year) is a great foundation that we laid to be able to move forward and not just do what we did this year but push the boundaries even more.” Parsley-Blocker said. “We’ve been in the finals of the Big East the last three years, why not win it next year?”