COLUMBIA, S.C. – A hall of fame athlete and accomplished coach at both the professional and collegiate levels, Jose Loiola (JO-say Loy-OLA) has been named the University of South Carolina’s second head beach volleyball coach, athletics director Jeremiah Donati announced Friday, May 23. Loiola most recently served for two seasons as assistant coach for the UCLA Bruins and coached professional teams on both the men’s and women’s side, dating back to 2014
“Jose Loiola’s background and knowledge in beach volleyball is unmatched. His success as a player, coach and leader in the sport speaks volumes as to the caliber of coach we are bringing to Columbia. His passion for the sport will build a positive culture in the program. I am excited to have Jose as our beach volleyball coach.”
Athletics Director Jeremiah Donati
This spring, Loiola was recognized as the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Collegiate Beach Assistant Coach of the Year after UCLA went 30-6 in the regular season and earned the top seed in the NCAA tournament, advancing to the national semifinal. In his two earlier seasons on the UCLA (2021 and 2024) the Bruins were national runners-up. Individually, UCLA had four players earn AVCA All-American honors and in the fall, Loiola coached the team’s duo of Maggie Boyd and Sally Perez to a title in the AVCA Beach Pairs National Championship.
“I am super excited for the opportunity to become head coach of this program. I feel like everything I have done up to now – going back to get a degree, coaching all different levels of athletes – have led me to this point. The University of South Carolina has a beautiful facility for student-athletes. With my passion for this sport and commitment to develop the player and the person, together, we will make this a place where potential becomes legacy.”
Jose Loiola
Loiola got his start in coaching in 2011 as the head coach of Team Wave (indoor volleyball club). He also served as a coach for the 2012 Men’s International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) U19 World Championship, the 2012 U17 Women’s Junior National Team, the 2013 U21 Men’s and Women’s World Championships, the 2014 U21 Women’s World Championship – winning bronze – and served as the head coach for the U21 Junior National Team in 2015.
Loiola began his career coaching professionals in 2014, working with Casey Jennings and Jeremy Casebeer. He worked with three different teams in 2015, highlighted by Theo Brunner and Nick Lucena finishing fourth at the FIVB World Championship. Also in 2015, he coached the tandem of Irene Pollock and Caitlin Ledoux. In 2017, Loiola coached Sara Hughes and Kelley Claes to an Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) victory in Chicago. He also coached Hughes and Summer Ross from 2018-19, as the duo won two AVP tour events and went on to win gold in Russia on the FIVB circuit.
Between his work on the AVP and FIVB circuits and the national team program, Loiola has also worked with Andy Benesh and Miles Partain (2024 Paris Olympians), Tri Bourne (2020 Tokyo Olympian), Reid Priddy (2008 Beijing and 2016 Rio Olympian) and Trevor Crabb on the men’s side, and Katie Horton, Julia Scoles, Emily Day and Jen Kessy on the women’s side.
As a player, Loiola reached the highest level of the sport, representing Brazil at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney with teammate Emanuel Rego and finishing ninth.
In the professional beach volleyball scene, Loiola recorded 55 event titles over a career that spanned two decades: 35 coming from the AVP national circuit and 20 more internationally with FIVB. Among those wins were the 1997 King of the Beach, the 1999 FIVB World Championship in Marseille, France, the 2001 Goodwill Games Australia and two Manhattan Beach Open titles (1995 and 2000).
Loiola was the first international player to be selected AVP Rookie of the Year (1993) and then MVP (1997). His first title, an indoor tournament in 1995, marked the first time an AVP event was won by two foreign-born players, as he claimed the title with Eduardo Bacil. He won four AVP Offensive Player of the Year awards (1995-98) and, in 2001, the FIVB chose Loiola and Rego as one of the two best teams of the 1990s.
Between his two stints at UCLA, Loiola worked as head coach of USA Volleyball’s National Team Development Program from May 2021 to June 2023. In his first year at the helm, Team USA placed two pairs in the semifinals and won gold at the 2021 U19 World Championships in Phuket, Thailand. He had previously spent four years (2015-18) leading USA Volleyball Beach High Performance tryouts.
Loiola was inducted into the California Beach Volleyball Association’s Hall of Fame in 2014 and the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2017
