Gustavo Rocha Joins USC Beach Volleyball Staff

LOS ANGELES – The USC beach volleyball team has hired Gustavo Rocha to serve as the program's assistant coach, head coach Anna Collier announced on Thursday, Aug. 3.

"We are so pleased to have Gustavo join the Trojan Family," said Collier. "He is a proven coach on the sand and brings such a passion to teach the game and to grow the sport. It will be exciting to see our student-athletes and this program grow with him on staff."

Rocha previously served as volunteer assistant coach at Pepperdine for two seasons (2016, '17) and helped the Waves to a 47-10 combined record in those campaigns. In 2017, Pepperdine finished as the NCAA runner-up to USC and compiled a 27-5 overall record. In 2016, the Waves were 20-5 and received the No. 5 ranking in the final AVCA coaches poll. Rocha had a hand in coaching AVCA All-Americans Taylor Racich and Heidi Dyer and was on staff as Pepperdine claimed back-to-back West Coast Conference titles.

In international competition, Rocha has served as an assistant coach under Marcio Sicoli to the U.S. Olympic duo of Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross. He was responsible for training the world-class athletes for the seven months leading up to and during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

On the pro level, Rocha was the head coach for Bill Kolinske and Avery Drost during the 2016 AVP tour. The pair earned a best finish of third place at the New York City event. He was also the assistant coach to the American duo of Jake Gibb and Tyler Crabb, which won the 2017 AVP Gold Series New York event and finished fifth at the FIVB event in Brazil. With Sicoli, he also coaches Walsh Jennings and Nicole Branagh.

Rocha's other coaching experience includes time with Elite Beach Volleyball Club in Manhattan Beach, Calif., and San Diego Beach Volleyball Club. He served as the SDBVBC Director of Independent Study Physical Education (ISPE).

Indoors, Rocha was the head coach for Genuine Volleyball Club's (Vista, Calif.) 14-2 squad and the assistant coach for the 16-1 and 18-1 teams. He was also the head coach for both seventh and eighth-grade girls' teams at Diegueno Middle School (Encinitas, Calif.) where he led both teams to championships in 2014.

Rocha was the head coach for UC San Diego men's volleyball club team from 2006-09, and was an assistant coach for the men's team at Holy Names (Oakland, Calif.) in 2005. He also coached the men's team at Park University (Parkville, Mo.) in 2004-05.

As a collegiate athlete, Rocha played four seasons as a setter at Park (2001-04) and helped lead his squad to the MAMVIC national championship in 2003 and a MISAR national championship in 2001. Rocha was named all-conference in 2001, 2002, and 2004; and to the all-tournament team as the MVP in 2003. He received all-tournament status at the NAIA National Invitational in 2003 and 2004. He was also named the national tournament's MVP in 2001. In his senior campaign, Rocha averaged 11.8 assists and 1.40 digs per set. Rocha earned the Dr. Dorothy Howell Student Leadership Award in 2004 and was honored on the Dean's List.

Rocha is a 2006 graduate of Park University and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in international business. He received a master of business administration from National University (San Diego, Calif.) in 2009. Originally from Goiania, Brazil, Rocha is fluent in English and Portuguese; and is proficient in conversational Spanish.

The top-ranked beach volleyball team went 38-1 in 2017 to capture the program's third consecutive national title and back-to-back NCAA crowns. USC also won its second of back-to-back Pac-12 team titles. Sixth-year head coach Anna Collier improved her all-time record to 146-18 as she guided the Trojans to an undefeated season on home sand (8-0) at Merle Norman Stadium.

For more information on the three-time national champion USC beach volleyball team, news, schedules, and results, please visit USCTrojans.com and follow @USCBeach on Facebook, Twitter, Periscope, Instagram, and Snapchat.

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Gustavo Rocha Joins USC Beach Volleyball Staff

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