Educated Move
This story originally appeared in Ohio State Alumni magazine’s March–April 2016 edition.
Educated move
Volleyball standout left France to pursue his studies and his sport.
By Adam King
Nicolas Szerszen is good at volleyball. Really good. So good, in fact, he could have gone pro after graduating from high school.
But his home country doesn’t give top-tier athletes a place to study and play sports. French universities simply aren’t set up that way. You go pro or you hit the books.
Pursuing his education was important to Szerszen, so coming to America was the best option. Ohio State had given his sister, Anna, a full scholarship to study and play volleyball, and Szerszen followed last year.
As you might have guessed by now, the siblings come from a volleyball family. Their parents, Jacek and Magdalena, played as well, and Jacek has been fortunate to make volleyball a career, first as a professional player in Poland and now as the coach of a semi-pro team in France.
Even so, the Szerszens instilled in their kids the belief that an education is as important as the ability to read a defense and punch a ball through for a point. Even if you come from a volleyball family.
“Our mindset in the family is if something bad happens in the sport, you’re basically screwed. So you better have another plan,” said Szerszen, who started his mechanical engineering track this spring. “I plan on playing pro after college. But I don’t know what I’m going to do after that, so I’m studying.”
Engineering is a logical focus for those studies because of Szerszen’s interest in science. And a mechanical engineering degree is especially appealing because it can lead in many directions.
Szerszen was a 6-foot-3 freshman phenom for the men’s volleyball team last year, finishing second in voting for national freshman of the year. And he’s already become a leader for the No. 5-ranked Buckeyes, one of the top teams in what’s considered the best men’s volleyball conference in the nation: the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.
The outside hitter is thinking about pursuing a master’s while playing pro and taking a shot at the 2024 Olympics if he can make the French National Team. (He was on the French Junior National Team for two years before college.) Then he may follow his father into coaching. Or he may work as an engineer. The options will be there because of his education.
For sister Anna, bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Fisher College of Business led to a position as a business fleet analyst for a power supplier serving nations, companies and even the Olympic Games. A freshman standout for the women’s team in 2006, she experienced injuries that kept her from matching that strong start, but she still was a huge contributor and team captain.
Anna is a big reason her brother chose Ohio State. She recommended him to the men’s coaches, and they worked to get him as much scholarship money as possible. (The men’s team has four-and-a-half scholarships each year to split among new recruits to the 21-member team, so Szerszen’s family is still paying a significant portion of his tuition.)
But the opportunity to play volleyball and get a degree concurrently made the investment an undeniable value.
Ohio State coach Pete Hanson is glad Szerszen feels that way.
Acknowledging Szerszen is good enough to play pro at home, Hanson said his skills were off the charts as a freshman. The fact is, he’s had a volleyball in his hand since age 6, while most American players don’t start the sport until high school.
“He has a high level of skills across the board that very few players who walk into a college program for the first time have,” Hanson said. “The surprising thing was his maturity and his competitiveness. He’s challenging our older guys on the team to be better. Nic was already acting like an upperclassman.”
So it’s no surprise that Szerszen is attacking Ohio State’s record books. Among his accomplishments in his first year: He has the highest aces-per-set average in school history (0.39, ranked 16th nationally), and his 40 aces tie him for sixth all-time in a season. His 3.77 points per set rank him 18th all-time in the program. He also was MIVA Freshman of the Year, Academic All-Conference and an Ohio State Scholar-Athlete.
“Nic is a great young man, has assimilated well into our program and is a great student,” Hanson said. “He came in with the whole package, and we have tried to take that package and add a little more to it.”
Szerszen grew another inch in the past year, and he’s been working hard to add strength.
“I got a lot bigger physically,” Szerszen said. “When I got back home my mom was like, ‘Wow, who are you?’”
For the Buckeyes, he could be the linchpin who takes them to the NCAA Tournament. Last year, they lost to eventual national champion Loyola in the MIVA semifinals. And based on returning talent, Ohio State is favored to win the conference this year.
Szerszen said he just feels privileged to be a part of it.
“Everything is coming to me. I’m feeling really lucky to be here and study and play volleyball,” he said. “I have everything I need right now.”
