Gianluca Grasso joined the UTA coaching staff as an assistant coach in August 2023.
Grasso, who was an All-American outside hitter with the USC men’s volleyball program before graduating in 2019, played four years of professional volleyball. He played three years in Puerto Rico, beginning with Mulos de Juncos. In 2021, he continued with Caribes de San Sebastian, as well as the Texas Tyrants based out of Dallas. His most recent stint as a player was in Israel as a member of Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2023.
During his time as a professional, Grasso competed against teams from Greece, Portugal and Hungary in the European CEV Challenge Cup, ultimately placing second.
Grasso was a three-year starter for the Trojans from 2017-19. Over the course of his collegiate career, he accumulated 787 kills, 82 aces, 362 digs and 96 blocks. He was named a co-captain in 2019 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in global studies the same year.
Furthermore, Grasso was an AVCA national player of the week in 2018, and was twice namedVolleyMob National Player of the Week honorable mention. He was also a member of the All-MPSF Honorable Mention and MPSF all-tournament team lists in 2018.
Before being recruited to USC, Grasso played for Orange Coast College in 2016, where he was an All Pacific Coast Conference Co-MVP and state runner-up with his team.
Grasso comes from a volleyball-savvy family, with both his parents and siblings playing at the collegiate level or higher. His parents Mauro and Rejane both played for the Brazilian national team, and his father coached men’s and women’s professional volleyball for 35 years in places like Italy, Brazil, Belgium, Qatar and Puerto Rico before moving to the U.S. to become a director.
Meanwhile, Grasso’s mother played professionally in Brazil and Italy for 10 years. His brother Marco was a setter at The Ohio State University, winning a national championship with the Buckeyes in 2016. His sister, Carol, played indoor and beach volleyball at Cal State Bakersfield.
UPDATED: 9/20/23
