AVP beach volleyball star Theo Brunner begins his second year as UCLA's assistant coach after joining the staff in July of 2025. In his first year at UCLA, the Bruins won the NCAA title.
Brunner has coached some of the world’s youngest and brightest stars in the game, including Olympians Miles Partain and Andy Benesh. Additionally, he served as a coach at Vibe Volleyball Lab in El Segundo, Calif. from 2020-23, where he coached private lessons for athletes ranging from 8-18, focusing on long-term skill and technical development of players. He was also the head coach for the USC Men’s Club Volleyball Team from September 2019 to March 2020.
“Theo is no stranger to elite beach volleyball with his playing career and as a coach,” said UCLA head coach Jenny Johnson Jordan. “He is a true student of the game. and I know that he will bring a fresh perspective to the team from his own career.”
Throughout his career, Brunner has provided Individual training sessions and mentorship to professional and amateur beach volleyball athletes. He has also coached numerous beach and Indoor volleyball clinics across the country, and in 2024, he supported USA Beach National Team Scout, Brian Hurler, in scouting for the Paris Olympic Games.
Brunner was a standout indoor player at UC Santa Barbara, earning first-team All-America honors in 2007 and was named team captain of the Gauchos in 2008. He played indoor volleyball professionally for Paok in Greece, as well as Ravenna and Verona in the Italian A1 League (2010-12).
His first foray into beach volleyball happened in 2006 at the urging of UCSB libero, Ben Brockman when the duo teamed up to compete in the Manhattan Beach Open. The AVP experienced a rebirth in 2013, and it was then that Brunner returned to the beach, partnering with Nick Lucena for his first AVP season in 2013.
Brunner’s career highlights include seven titles – the 2013 AVP Championship, 2016 Seattle Open, the 2018, 2022, and 2023 Hermosa Beach Opens, 2023 AVP Chicago Gold Series, and the 2024 AVP Manhattan Beach Open. Brunner has been named the AVPs Best Blocker four times (2013, 2014, 2022, and 2023) in his career. Internationally, he has won two Bronze Medals in major international events, as well as taking fourth place in the 2015 World Championships in The Netherlands. He won his first FIVB medal, a bronze, with Todd Rogers at the 2014 Long Beach Grand Slam. He has also reached the World Championship Semifinals three times in his career.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from UC Santa Barbara in 2008.