FOCUSED ON
EXCELLENCE
We support coaches with resources, training, and a community committed to developing athletes and leaders on and off the court.
Chris Ding
TITLE: 17 Navy Assistant Coach
Chris Ding brings competitive fire and real court experience as a former UC Berkeley club standout, NCCVL Division 1 Champion, 2025 9-Man NACIVT Finalist, and current Varsity Assistant Coach at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton. Chris knows what it means to compete at a high level and he brings that standard to every athlete he coaches.
Nile minn
TITLE: 17 Red Head Coach
Nile Minn is entering his 5th season at Encore Volleyball and his second year as Co - Director for Encore. A trained libero and setter with over 10 years of volleyball experience, Nile has served as Manager of UC Berkeley's Division I Women's Volleyball program, coached Berkeley's Women's Club team, and has been a cornerstone of what Encore is building here on the Peninsula. He knows this program inside and out because he helped build it.
Tara Ozdemir
TITLE: 17 White Head Coach
Tara played Division I beach volleyball at Stetson University, won conference, and made the Sweet 16. At CSM she competed as a Lib and DS on both the indoor and beach programs, served as the number one beach pair, and finished with the highest pair win record on the team. Now in her third year at Encore she has already proven she wins here, leading 15-3 as Head Coach and contributing to 17-1 as Assistant Coach.
Bryant Tran
TITLE: 16 Navy & 14 Navy Head Coach
Bryant is entering his 11th season at Encore Volleyball with 20 years of coaching experience behind him and a resume that commands respect at every level of this game.
10th season at Encore Volleyball, 20 years of coaching experience
Current Varsity Head Coach at Sequoia High School. Former Assistant Coach at Menlo College Women's Volleyball
Helped lead Menlo-Atherton High School to a CCS Division I Championship in 2021.
Cherene Cato
TITLE: 16 White Co-Head Coaach
Cherene Cato is a Bay Area native who has played and coached volleyball her whole life, from four-year varsity standout to collegiate athlete. She now serves as Athletic Coordinator at The Riekes Center and built the Crystal Springs Uplands beach volleyball program from scratch.
Elise agi
TITLE: 17 Navy Head Coach
Elise Agi comes to Encore as a two-time Second Team All-Big West honoree, the No. 1 ranked serve-receiving Outside Hitter in the country in 2025, and current Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Saint Mary's College in Moraga. She played two seasons at Oregon and three at Long Beach State. She is also an Encore Alumni, which means she knows exactly what it takes to develop an athlete in this program because she lived it herself.
Jill manganang
TITLE: 17 Red Assistant Coach
SoCal native, indoor and grass volleyball competitorJill Mangawang is a DS and Libero with a decade of playing experience and a coaching record that speaks for itself. In her first season as Freshman Head Coach at Burlingame High School she went 9 and 0. Undefeated. She holds a degree in Politics and Psychology from UC Santa Cruz and has been developing young athletes in this community since 2022.
Daria Gusarova
TITLE: 17 White Assistant Coach
Daria Gusarova just completed her career at Stanford University as a beach volleyball player, finishing her final season with a 24-6 record, 13 wins over ranked opponents, and a 2025 MPSF Championship. She is a member of the Cyprus Women's National Team, has competed internationally since 2017, and has won three National Championship gold medals representing her country. She holds dual degrees in Biology from Stanford. A seven-year ballet background. A 24-6 record. A National Team athlete. And now she is your Coach.
HANNAH GOMEZ
TITLE: 16 Red Coach
Hannah played Outside Hitter at College of San Mateo from 2018 to 2020, earned First Team All League honors, and captained her team. She then went on to play DS and Libero at Holy Names University while simultaneously earning her Master's degree in Business Administration. She returned to CSM as an assistant to the Women's Volleyball program and is entering her 7th season at Encore Volleyball. Seven seasons. She has been in this building growing and developing athletes since day one.
Punch Puengrod
TITLE: 16 White Co-Head Coach
Punch Puengrod is entering her second season at Encore and she is showing up with the kind of coaching philosophy that athletes remember long after the season ends. Punch played volleyball from 7th grade through junior year of high school, earned Defensive Specialist honors in 2018 and the Bulldog Award in 2017, and has built her entire coaching approach around one belief: mistakes are not mistakes, they are opportunities to grow.
Torika Baleileutu
TITLE: 15 Navy Head Coach
Meet Coach Torika, Co -Director, Encore Alumni, and one of the most impactful people in the building.
Torika played collegiate volleyball at the University of Missouri-West Plains before transferring to compete as a Middle Blocker at Division I University of Memphis, where she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Sociology and Business. She captained her teams all four years, earned Academic All-American and All-League honors, and attended back-to-back NJCAA Region Championships.
Irene Oliveira
TITLE: 15 White Co-Head Coach
Irene has been coaching volleyball since 1999 and her track record is nothing short of remarkable. She led Carlmont High School to a CCS Division I Championship in the 2005/2006 season, claimed PAL Varsity League titles, and has been developing young athletes at every level from middle school to high school to club for over two decades.
HANNAH GOMEZ
TITLE: 15 Red Head Coach
Janet McDowell has been training volleyball players since 2000 and her resume speaks for itself.
Assistant Coach at Skyline College since 2018, developing collegiate student-athletes year after year.
​Janet is known for her positive coaching style, her obsession with fundamentals, and her genuine belief that the game should build you for life. That is not just a coaching philosophy. That is the Encore standard.
Patrick Kim
TITLE: 15 White Co-Head Coach
Patrick is a trained setter and libero with 8 years of volleyball experience who relocated from Fresno to Berkeley and has been deeply embedded in the Bay Area volleyball community ever since. He brings genuine passion for fundamentals, player development, and the kind of energy that makes athletes want to be in the gym. His favorite player to watch is Tomohiro Yamamoto, which tells you everything you need to know about his volleyball IQ.
Vanessa Pan
TITLE: 13 Navy Head Coach
13 NAVY has a coach who has been in your shoes and then some. Meet Coach Vanessa Pan.
Vanessa is entering her 5th season coaching at Encore Volleyball, and her playing career reads like a highlight reel across two college conferences.