Brandon Taliaferro - Men's Volleyball Coach

Brandon Taliaferro

Title:
Assistant Men's Volleyball Coach

Brandon Taliaferro joined Coach John Speraw’s Bruin coaching staff in the fall of 2022 for the 2023 season.

With Taliaferro on staff, UCLA captured its first NCAA Championship since the 2006 campaign and 20th overall title with a four-set win over two-time defending national champion Hawai’i. Setter Andrew Rowan was selected as a first-team AVCA All-American, the AVCA Newcomer of the Year and the MPSF Freshman of the Year after directing a Bruin offense which led the nation in hitting percentage (.382).

The Bruins also won the 2023 MPSF Tournament Championship, the program’s first since the 2006 season. The 12-0 regular-season MPSF record was UCLA’s first unbeaten ledger since it posted a 19-0 mark in 1995. The Bruins also led the nation in set assists (12.64) and blocking average (2.80. Middle blocker Merrick McHenry topped the nation with a .526 attack percentage. In addition, the Bruins were rated among the nation’s top five in kills/s (second), aces/s (third) and opponent hitting percentage (eighth).

Taliaferro was one of UCLA’s most highly-honored men’s volleyball players during a stellar playing career (1997-2000) which included a pair of national championships (1998 and 2000). He finished his Bruin career as the all-time school leader in set assists with 6,840. Taliaferro also owns school records for single-season (1,848 in 1998) and single-match (110 in 1998) set assists. He ranks third on the all-time school list for service aces (176) and digs (831) while ranking No. 10 all-time in blocks (396).

Taliaferro began his career by winning Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Freshman of the Year honors in 1997 and finished it as a three-time first-team All-America selection and the 2000 NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player.

He went on to play for the U.S. National Team from 2000-03 and 2006-08 and was an alternate for the 2008 Olympic team. Taliaferro was named to the Pac-12 Men’s Volleyball All-Century Team and was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.

Following his playing career, Taliaferro has worked in private business in plumbing, construction and real estate. He is also the co-founder of the 949 Volleyball Club and has been active in the development of youth volleyball in Orange County. Taliaferro’s hobbies include surfing, foiling, pickle ball and traveling. He and his wife, Heidi, have two children.