Players Mentioned
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
Photo by: Jenny Chuang
Gustavo Rocha Promoted to USC Beach Volleyball Associate Head Coach
July 27, 2023 | Women's Beach Volleyball
The Trojans have won three consecutive NCAA championships with Rocha on staff
LOS ANGELES – USC beach volleyball has promoted Gustavo Rocha to the position of associate head coach, head coach Dain Blanton announced on Thursday, July 27.
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Recently honored as the 2023 American Volleyball Coaches Association National Assistant Coach of the Year, Rocha served the previous six years (2018-23) as the Trojans' assistant coach and enters his seventh season (2023-24) with the program.Â
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"Gustavo is quite simply one of the best coaches in our game today," said Blanton. "He is a master of technique, an inspirational voice in the box, and one of the top volleyball minds in the sport. Gus has been an integral piece to our program's unprecedented success and we're so pleased to be able to elevate him to an associate position for our team. I'm looking forward to having him in the Cardinal and Gold for much more success to come."
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With Rocha on staff, the Women of Troy have captured three consecutive NCAA championships (2021, '22, '23); the program's fourth, fifth, and sixth national titles. He also helped guide the Trojans to two Pac-12 Championships (2019 and 2022) and to an NCAA runner-up finish in 2019.
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Rocha also serves as a co-head coach for Team USA's pair of USC alumnae and All-Americans Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng (formerly Claes) as the duo makes a run towards the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In the summer of 2021, Rocha served as the first-ever head coach of the Latvian women's beach volleyball national team and coached four-time USC All-American Tina Graudina and partner Anastasija Kravcenoka to a fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympic Games. For his efforts, he was named Latvia Volleyball's 2022 Beach Volleyball Coach of the Year.
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In the lead-up to the Tokyo Games, he also helped Graudina-Kravcenoka claim a pair of fourth-place finishes at FIVB World Tour stops in Sochi, Russia, and Gstaad, Switzerland. He continued to serve as coach to Graudina-Kravcenoka in the summer of 2022 and helped the duo to a second-place finish at the FIVB Mexico tour stop and a fourth-place finish in Gstaad.
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In other international competition, Rocha was the 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.
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Rocha also has experience coaching indoor programs, on the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) Tour with both men's and women's pairs, and with clubs and high school programs.
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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.
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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.
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Recently honored as the 2023 American Volleyball Coaches Association National Assistant Coach of the Year, Rocha served the previous six years (2018-23) as the Trojans' assistant coach and enters his seventh season (2023-24) with the program.Â
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"Gustavo is quite simply one of the best coaches in our game today," said Blanton. "He is a master of technique, an inspirational voice in the box, and one of the top volleyball minds in the sport. Gus has been an integral piece to our program's unprecedented success and we're so pleased to be able to elevate him to an associate position for our team. I'm looking forward to having him in the Cardinal and Gold for much more success to come."
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With Rocha on staff, the Women of Troy have captured three consecutive NCAA championships (2021, '22, '23); the program's fourth, fifth, and sixth national titles. He also helped guide the Trojans to two Pac-12 Championships (2019 and 2022) and to an NCAA runner-up finish in 2019.
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Rocha also serves as a co-head coach for Team USA's pair of USC alumnae and All-Americans Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng (formerly Claes) as the duo makes a run towards the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In the summer of 2021, Rocha served as the first-ever head coach of the Latvian women's beach volleyball national team and coached four-time USC All-American Tina Graudina and partner Anastasija Kravcenoka to a fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympic Games. For his efforts, he was named Latvia Volleyball's 2022 Beach Volleyball Coach of the Year.
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In the lead-up to the Tokyo Games, he also helped Graudina-Kravcenoka claim a pair of fourth-place finishes at FIVB World Tour stops in Sochi, Russia, and Gstaad, Switzerland. He continued to serve as coach to Graudina-Kravcenoka in the summer of 2022 and helped the duo to a second-place finish at the FIVB Mexico tour stop and a fourth-place finish in Gstaad.
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In other international competition, Rocha was the 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.
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Rocha also has experience coaching indoor programs, on the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) Tour with both men's and women's pairs, and with clubs and high school programs.
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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.
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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.
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