LEXINGTON, K.Y. – FDU women's volleyball coach David Nguyen has been named to the AVCA's Thirty Under 30 honors program. The two-time NEC Coach of the Year is in his third season leading the Knights. The 2024 squad is currently enjoying a 10-match winning streak and an undefeated start to their conference campaign.
 
The Thirty Under 30 honors program recognizes up-and-coming coaches in these different sectors of the sport who serve in a range of roles, from head coach to volunteer assistant to club director. Each of this year's recipients had to be age 30 or under as of Dec. 31, 2023, to qualify for the award.
 
Nguyen took over at FDU in 2022 and immediately turned the Burgundy and Blue into a Northeast Conference power. In his first season, Nguyen's Knights captured the first NEC title in program history and booked their first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament. The team won their most games since 2011, finishing with 17 victories. The turnaround earned Nguyen NEC Coach of the Year Honors.
 
The winning continued in Nguyen's second season at the helm. The Knights won a program record 11 NEC games and returned to the conference championship.  While FDU fell short in the title match, the Knights still garnered multiple All-NEC selections and major awards. Tatijana Fucka was named the NEC Player of the Year and Nguyen was tabbed as Coach of the Year for the second straight season.
 
2024 has seen the best start to a season in Nguyen's tenure with the Knights. FDU is 14-5 overall and 4-0 in NEC play. They have won ten consecutive matches, which is a program record in the modern era.
 
Overall, Nguyen has won 45 matches in two-plus seasons in charge at FDU. He has developed four All-NEC selections and the 2023 Player of the Year.
 
Prior to his arrival in Hackensack, Nguyen was an assistant coach at Coastal Carolina from 2021-2022. His first assistant coaching job came at William & Mary from 2019-2021. Before becoming an assistant coach, Nguyen served as the Director of volleyball Operations at Virginia and a volunteer assistant at VCU.
 
ABOUT FDU ATHLETICS
FDU is home to 21 NCAA Division I teams. A member of the Northeast Conference, the Knights have had tremendous success in the classroom, in athletic competition as well as giving back to the Bergen County community. FDU became the first school in Northeast Conference (NEC) history to win championships in women's volleyball, women's soccer, and men's soccer in the same season (2022). In 2023, the Burgundy and Blue also became the first NEC school to win two games as a 16-seed in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, including an upset over top-seeded Purdue. As a result of its incredible 2022-23 season, FDU placed 92nd in the Learfield Director's Cup, the first NEC program to finish in the Top 100. In 2024 Salif Mane captured the Triple jump title at the 2024 NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships, went on to win the gold medal at the Team USA Olympic Trials, and compete at the Paris Olympics. Since 2019, FDU has won 15 conference titles across men's soccer, men's tennis, men's basketball, women's basketball, women's indoor track & field, women's bowling, women's golf, and women's volleyball. Off the field, FDU student-athletes were recognized for their efforts in the community by winning the NEC Building Communities Award in both 2020 and 2024. In addition to recent championships, FDU holds five additional national championships, three in sport of women's fencing and two in women's bowling.
 
ABOUT THE AVCA
 The AVCA, located in Lexington, Ky., is managed by Associations International. With a membership of over 9,000 and counting, the AVCA provides a professional network for those individuals and companies dedicated to enhancing and promoting the sport. Members include collegiate, high school, club, youth, and Olympic coaches, as well as volleyball club directors. The AVCA provides professional development for volleyball coaches, recognition of elite players and coaches, promotion of volleyball competitions throughout the world, and networking opportunities for volleyball products and services providers.