St. Bede hires former DI setter Nicole Trenka as volleyball coach

Nicole Trenka has been around volleyball her entire life.

She played Division I volleyball – both indoor and beach – at St. Mary’s College of California and immediately started coaching when her playing career was finished.

Now she’s taking the next stop in her coaching career after being hired as the head coach at St. Bede.

“It means a lot,” said Trenka, who was a setter for St. Mary’s. “I’m really excited to be part of the program. I played volleyball my whole life, and I’ve always had such a big passion for it. I love working with the girls and being part of the sport. [Being a head coach] is something I’ve always wanted to do. When I saw the position open up, I got real excited about the talent there and the school in general. I’m excited it all worked out.”

After playing at St. Mary’s, Trenka coached the club team at the college and also coached the 17U team for the Bay Area Volleyball Club.

Most recently, Trenka was the 16U coach for the Morris Volleyball Club and was an assistant at La Salle-Peru in the fall.

“We expect our new fall head coaches to guide and mentor our students for many years and are excited to welcome coach Trenka into our SBA family,” St. Bede athletic director Michael Armatto said in a news release.

Trenka will be the third coach in three years for the Bruins. Abbi Bosnich was St. Bede’s coach in 2023 to end a three-year stint, and Kaitlyn Edgcomb coached the Bruins last fall.

“I think it’s just really establishing a routine, getting in a rhythm and having some sort of normalcy for them,” Trenka said about her goals for the program. “I know they’ve had a lot of changes throughout the years, so we’re trying to get something that is more established and seeing how we can make it grow.”

Trenka takes over a team that went 18-14 last season.

“For me, it’s really attitude and effort and realizing everyone is part of something that’s bigger than themselves,” Trenka said about the philosophy she’s bringing to the program. “It’s a team effort. We need to work on making the girls better people, and by doing that we’ll also be better athletes.”