Directors

Nga Tran
SLÁINTE DIRECTOR

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​Nga is the co-founder of Sláinte Volleyball Club. Over the years, her Sláinte girls' teams have finished top 5 in their age region and qualified for Girls Junior Nationals and Boys Junior Nationals. Most recently, her teams qualified for the National Championships in the following years:

• 2021 Season: 18-1 Black qualified for GJNC. 
• 2019 Nga was named to Coaches Association 15s Club Coach of the Year!
• 2017-2018 Season: 18-1 Black team (assistant) finished  1st in bronze (17th overall) in the American Division at GJNC; 18-1 Platinum (Boys) team finished 2nd in the bronze division at BJNC; 17-1 Black team (assistant) finished 5th at AAU Championships in the gold division.
• 2016-2017 Season: 18-1 Black Team (assistant) finished in silver division at GJNC in the USA division; 17-1 Black (head) won Far Western tournament; finished 2nd in the silver division of the American division, losing a tough 3 set to eventual 1st and 2nd place winners.
• 2015-2016 Season: 17-1 Black team (head) finished in the silver division at GJNC; 14-1 Black team (head) finished in gold; 2nd at Far Western in USA division and finished in the silver division at GJNC.
• 2014-2015 Season: 17-1 Black team (head) finished in the bronze division at AAU championships.

Nga is the head boy’s volleyball coach at Sacred Heart Cathedral. As head boy’s volleyball coach, she led the Irish to their first CCS championship, WCAL championship, and Academic State Championship, CCS title in 2012, and has repeatedly qualified her teams for sectional playoffs.
In girl’s high school volleyball, Nga was the varsity coach for Mercy HS in San Francisco, and in the past, was the assistant varsity coach at SHC, head JV coach at SHC, and head varsity coach for Mercy HS in Burlingame.  She won numerous league titles as the head JV coach and won WBAL in 2010 with Mercy Burlingame. She was named the 2011 Central Coast Section Honor Coach for Men’s Volleyball.
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Nga comes from a family of 10 children who grew up loving sports and games. She is from the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan and is a graduate of the University of Michigan.

Ryan Fickenscher
SLÁINTE DIRECTOR

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Co-Director,  Ryan will be in charge of College Recruiting, Summer and Fall Clinics, Private Lessons and Rising Youth.

Ryan begins his eighth season coaching club volleyball. This year, he will be Head Coach for the 18-1 Black Team and assistant coach for 17-1 Platinum team. Last year, Ryan finished a successful 18-1 season by finishing top 3 in NCVA and winning bronze (17th) at BJNC.  In addition, Ryan was a coach at Frisco Bay for six years, where he qualified multiple teams for Junior Nationals. In 2011-12, his 15's took 5th in NCVA and qualified to attend Junior Nationals. In 2013-14, he and coach Pam took over the 14s and 18s teams and qualified both groups to Junior Nationals. The 14s earned theirs by finishing 2nd place in USA Division at the Disney Showcase in Florida, while the 18s earned theirs through Power League. 

Ryan was born and raised down in Orange County and attended Servite HS, a private school located in Anaheim, CA. He played all 4 years and was a varsity setter for 3. He was named 2nd team all Trinity League his junior and senior year, and awarded captain and MVP his freshman and senior year. During his club season, Ryan played for Highline 16-1, Riptides South Bay 17-1, and Riptides OC 18-2, all of which qualified for Junior Olympics. His 17s team finished 5th at JO's in the Open Division. That same year, Ryan qualified to participate in the USA Volleyball Boy's High Performance Training Team. Additionally, Ryan has experience in competing in the CBVA (California Beach Volleyball Association) while in high school. He went as far as earning his “AA” status as a beach volleyball player.

In 2007, Ryan made the NCAA recruiting list and played for UC Santa Cruz as a setter under coach Jonah Carson. After graduating in 2011, Ryan moved to San Francisco where he continued to play, as well as becoming a trainer for 4 years at the YMCA. 

These days, Ryan still actively plays volleyball in an Asian league known as 9-man. Every year during Labor Day weekend, 100+ teams from USA and Canada compete in a National Tournament known as the North American Chinese Invitational Volleyball Tournament (NACIVT). His team, known as Paai Kau Smash, has made it to the finals 5 out of the past 7 years since Ryan started playing. They won their first championship in 2013 and became back-to-back tournament champions in 2016, 2017 and 2018.