Skip to main content
EDIT

Twin National Champions Bring Winning Mentality to Marshall

Twin National Champions Bring Winning Mentality to Marshall

The Nourse twins have already achieved greatness in beach volleyball. Now, they’re amplifying student-athlete stories with their nonprofit.

by: Alexander Bernard
09.12.24
Audrey and Nicole Nourse with National Championship trophies

Audrey and Nicole Nourse are amplifying student-athlete voices through their company, Exposition.

[USC Photo / Courtesy of USC Athletics]

Stay Informed + Stay Connected

MARSHALL MONTHLY BRINGS YOU ESSENTIAL NEWS AND EVENTS FROM FACULTY, STUDENTS, AND ALUMNI.
SIGN UP

Audrey and Nicole Nourse, both members of the Class of 2023, are more than four-time beach volleyball national champions. They are founders, students, podcasters, Dean’s List scholars, Academic All-Americans, Trojan alumni, and, above all, twin sisters.

The Nourse twins are also proud Marshall graduates, each earning their degree in business administration. As student-athletes, Nicole and Audrey Nourse have benefited from all of USC’s resources, not just those of the beach volleyball program but also the academic and entrepreneurial support of Marshall and the university as a whole. Buoyed by the Trojan Network, the pair found the perfect environment to merge their athletic drive with business acumen.

In August 2021, the pair founded Exposition, a certified 501(c)(3) non-profit media organization dedicated to providing student-athletes a platform to share their experiences through documentaries, podcasts, and the written word.

“You don’t really get to see who the athlete is behind their number, behind their stat record, behind all these accolades that precede them,” Audrey Nourse said. “We wanted to create this really cool platform where we could bring athletes in and help share their stories. And then through that process, it also allows them to look inward and see: ‘Who am I without my sport’?”

Along with co-founders Bella Robakowski ’22, JD ’25 and Hana Rosenthal ’22, the Nourses launched the multimedia website to amplify the parts of an athlete’s life that most people don’t get to hear. They want people to see athletes as multi-dimensional people and for the athletes themselves to know they’re more than their successes and failures.

Nicole Nourse specifically recalls a piece written by her former roommate, Paige Hauschild, who won a gold medal in water polo at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics. The essay reflected on life after reaching the pinnacle of her sport and the emptiness that comes after achieving a dream.

The twins hope stories like Hauschild’s can shed light on the unique and difficult journey of athletics, preparing others to walk the same path.

The way we approach our sport is the way we approach life; it’s the way we approach all facets of life. We operate on a growth mindset.

— Audrey Nourse ’23

4x National Champion

“I wish I had this when I was in high school,” Nicole Nourse said of Exposition. “All you want to do is just get a closer look and insight into what [the athlete’s] life really entails.”

The Nourse twins are not solely defined by the trophies they’ve earned across four championship years with the beach volleyball team, but they do bring their competitive fire to everything they do — be it their Marshall education, Exposition, or the volleyball court.

“The way we approach our sport is the way we approach life; it’s the way we approach all facets of life,” Audrey Nourse said. “We operate on a growth mindset. We know we’re not perfect, but every single day, whether we’re stepping on the court or stepping into the classroom, we just want to be 1% better.”

The twins do just about everything together. They’re partners on the court (with the numbers 24 and 42), had the same major, are currently pursuing master’s degrees at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and even co-host the Double Take podcast.

The pair flourishes through positive self-talk, a commitment to growth and improvement, and by leaning on one another. Yet, as the twins point out, it’s not just about teamwork. It’s about competition — a philosophy that extends to business.

“She’s probably my biggest competitor in the most healthy way that you could think of,” Audrey Nourse said. “We have a standard for ourselves and I don’t know anyone other than my sister that operates on that type of standard. To be surrounded by that every single day — it makes me better and I hope that I make her better as well.”

They’re not just better; they’re the best. The Nourse twins have led the USC beach volleyball team to four consecutive national championships, marking the first time a Trojan team has achieved this feat since the men’s water polo team won six straight titles from 2008 to 2013.

The pair didn’t reach the top overnight. The Nourses attribute their success, in and out of athletics, to their detail-oriented work ethic and a useful philosophy.

“[There’s a mantra] on our coach’s door: Everything is important. Nothing is special,” Nicole Nourse said. “We don’t put more weight on certain things just because there’s a grade tied to it or it’s a big test. We put in the work on the daily tests, the daily readings, the little things that are easy to skip over and that many people skip over.”

The pair is looking forward to life after volleyball. The Trojan Network has set them up for success, opening doors to find jobs in the business world.

Audrey Nourse, who hopes to enter wealth management, says that every Trojan she’s contacted on LinkedIn has responded to her. According to the twins, the Trojan Network at Marshall is thriving, a message they are passing down to new student-athletes determining their own paths.

“Having [a Marshall degree] really sets you up for life,” said Nicole Nourse. “It holds so much power and credibility, and its reputation is amazing … we definitely recommend going to Marshall because of what it’s given us.”

RELATED