08/28/2026
Learn More About Our Founder, Nickole Huffman.
We created a little Q & A for you....
First, let's start with some information about you. Tell us about your life outside of volleyball.
"Wait. There's a life outside of volleyball? ;)
I have the most amazing husband, Greg, who has led me, encouraged me, and given me more grace than I deserve. Twenty-five years and counting. He's such a treasure!
I have two incredible children who bring me so much joy. Josiah is the owner of Ox Head Restoration in Greenwood, and Sam is in her senior year of high school. Both are gifted in so many ways, and I love watching them figure out who they are and where they're going.
My second home is Uganda. I serve on the Board of Directors for a school there called The African Hospitality Institute, and I absolutely LOVE it. Those people have become my second family.
I play softball and volleyball, love creating scavenger hunts for my family, and I might....just....have....middle school boy humor. I'm sorry about that.
I love to study Scripture and learn more about our Heavenly Father and all He has done, is doing, and will do. I love the Biblical Feasts and what they represent. They are beautiful.
And I love slinging joy and asking weird and awkward questions. Ha!"
Why did you start Indy Fire?
"I started Indy Fire because I wanted a safe place for young ladies to play competitive volleyball, but I also wanted to help families reclaim their family time on the weekends.
Creating a "no weekend" club was difficult in a culture that constantly tells us we need to run ourselves into the ground every day in order to play competitively. As a Sabbath-keeping family, we wanted an opportunity to rest, reconnect, study, and play. And we wanted other families to be able to do the same.
Wanna go camping? Awesome! Want to sleep in? DO IT. Want to take a weekend trip somewhere? You have the time. There are so many ways families can connect on the weekends, and it has been incredibly refreshing to hear how special that time has become for our families.
That doesn't mean we aren't busy during the week, though! We actually have more in-season games than any homeschool team around. We're serious about competition. We just don't believe competitive volleyball has to consume your weekends, your family, or your life. We will work hard all week. But giving families the opportunity to reclaim their family time is so important here."
Why did you choose the name "Indy Fire"?
"Oh gosh....it took me a while to come up with a name. I had an ongoing list of names that I would say out loud and even cheer to see how they sounded. I know. Kind of weird.
But one day, I was in the shower (ha! My best ideas are found there!) thinking about fire.
Fire is used in Scripture in so many different ways. It refines. It purifies. It destroys. It was used in sacrifices. Our Father led the Israelites through the wilderness with a cloud by day and fire by night. He spoke to Moses through a fiery bush.
That day, it just clicked and I knew this was the name for our club.
I wanted this club to be a sacrifice of praise for all the ways our Father has shown up for me, taught me, reproved me, refined me, and led me.
It just felt like the perfect fit."
Who chose the colors, logo, and jersey style?
"Actually, my daughter, Sam!
There were a few different color combinations she considered, but she landed on hot pink and black. She created a mock-up of the logo and jerseys, and the rest is history."
What have you learned through starting a club?
"I have learned to trust the Father. For ALL of it.
I often pray that He will bring the people to our club who belong here and remove those who don't. As wild of a prayer as that might sound, it's true.
There have been very hard moments when people have walked away, and if I'm honest, it has been painful at times. But then I start to see the bigger picture, and I realize He is answering my prayers. He has brought in the most incredible people here.
I can't say I trust Him and then try to white-knuckle everything that comes my way, trying to control it all. That's not how faith and trust work.
So I'm learning to open my hands, let Him lead, and trust that He sees the whole picture when I only see a tiny piece of it."
What is your favorite part of Indy Fire?
"I honestly cannot pick just one.
Indy Fire has been a breath of fresh air in my life and in the life of my family. It has brought like-minded people together and given young girls a chance to experience a life-giving, safe place where they can come play volleyball, work hard, and learn the difficult parts of the game.
I love seeing the younger siblings playing together at games. We recently had a little guy showing all the older girls his push-ups! It was precious. You can see new friends running around the courts together, young players watching the older girls play while they're eating from their little snackle boxes. You can hear the cheers and laughter. They're not stuck on iPads or forced to sit still all night. They're part of our Indy Fire Family and they seem to love it.
I see men and women sharing their gifts through organization, event planning, team announcing, coaching, and so many other things. I see joy on faces and hear it in the cheers of the girls.
We have the MOST INCREDIBLE COACHES AND fAMILieS, and I am so incredibly thankful for every person who has stepped into this story, believed in its mission, and led themselves with integrity, both on and off the court.
I am speechless often. I know that's hard to believe.
And so very grateful."
And finally, what have been some of your favorite moments at Fire so far?
Oh gosh. I have little snapshots from every season we've had. (And that's only TWO full seasons!)
Our first season has two favorites that immediately come to mind:
The first was when Ella, one of our junior high players, was forced to serve in a match because the coach had run out of subs. She was terrified. Her team lifted her up and cheered for her, and with tears streaming down her face, she bravely walked to the line and served the ball over the net.
You would have thought we had just won a national tournament with the way the team and fans celebrated.
I still get tears in my eyes thinking about it.
The second was our high school national tournament. Our whole varsity team was either really sick or getting there. The way our girls dug deep and continued to compete when they felt terrible was incredible. We ended up winning our division, and I am still SO grateful for that week and everything that came with it.
Last year brought so many beautiful moments, too....
Our elementary team had no wins their first season, and then won their first match last season. It was a JOYOUS night.
Watching our junior high team work together and do great things on the court was amazing. Creating lasting memories with our high school teams, even with low numbers on the court, and watching them hang with teams that were considered much stronger was incredibly rewarding.
And then there was beating NW Storm in a hard-fought match after being down 5-12 in the fifth set."
And this year?
Our elementary team is rocking it and already has more wins than the previous two years combined. Our coaches have created higher expectations for our players, and we're watching the girls take on our challenges to meet them. We created a junior high developmental team called Rise, and they are already *rising* to the challenge.
There are SO many good things happening this year.
We are also incredibly grateful to The Ark for giving us the opportunity to practice in their brand-new facility. We are so thankful for their kindness, professionalism, and encouragement. And to Indianapolis Baptist Temple for their space to have such great home matches. We love them."
Any final words?
I love Indy Fire.
I love everything about it: the gyms we use, our jersey vendor, our families, our culture, and the way everyone works together. The relationships we have with other schools and homeschool teams.
I am grateful for our amazing Board, who shares the heart and vision of this club. I'm grateful for our new spirit wear vendor, and for all the people who have brought their gifts and talents to the court and court side. For those who have jumped head first without knowing exactly what they were jumping in to. What a gift we have here.
And I am grateful for all the ways we have been shown favor and significantly blessed.
At the end of the day, I hope every girl who comes through Indy Fire knows she is more than a jersey number, a position, a statistic, or a win-loss record. I hope she knows she was seen, heard, valued, challenged, encouraged, and loved.
That is what I hope we are building.
HalleluYAH!"
