Sunahara Adds de Souza to Coaching Staff
March 28, 2019 04:08 PM | Volleyball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball program added a new member to its coaching staff on Thursday, as coach Reed Sunahara announced the hiring of assistant coach Adriano de Souza.
De Souza joins the Mountaineer staff after spending seven seasons as the head volleyball coach at Louisiana Tech (2012-18) in Ruston, Louisiana, where he helped the program improve its win total in each of his first five seasons to notch 55 career wins at the helm of the Lady Techsters. De Souza coached five All-Louisiana performers and a pair of All-Conference USA award winners during his tenure. He also produced four All-Conference USA Scholar-Athletes and landed the program's first-ever American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Academic Team Award in 2018.
"I'm very excited to have AD on board and join our West Virginia volleyball family," Sunahara said. "He brings a wealth of experience and has coached on the collegiate and international level. He is a great student of the game and will help WVU and our student-athletes reach new heights."
"I want to thank coach Reed Sunahara for his trust and bringing me to his coaching staff," de Souza said. "It is an honor to be a part of this program, and I am looking forward to collaborating with him in the development of the WVU volleyball team."
The Sao Paulo, Brazil, native has a coaching resume that spans 25 years, boasting stints at the club, high school and collegiate levels, including assistant coaching positions at Illinois State, Miami (Ohio) and Kent State. Responsible for recruiting in multiple roles, de Souza also brings a wealth of international recruiting experience with him to Morgantown.
Prior to his seven-year stint at Tech, de Souza spent four years as the assistant coach at Illinois State (2008-12), where he helped rebuild the Redbirds program and led it to back-to-back semifinal appearances at the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Tournament.
De Souza also served on Miami's staff as an assistant from 2005-07, were he was instrumental in revamping the program's training and scouting systems. With de Souza's support, the Redhawks reached the 2007 NCAA Tournament after capturing the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament title that same season. Miami posted a 20-win season for the first time since 1998, including a pair of victories over nationally-ranked Ohio, the four-time defending conference champion, for its first-ever win over a ranked foe. While at Miami, de Souza assisted in coaching a total of 10 All-MAC selections, including the 2007 MAC Freshman of the Year.
De Souza started his Division I career at Kent State, volunteering for the Golden Flashes' volleyball program for two seasons (2003-05) while completing his master's degree in sports studies.
Before coming to the United States to begin his Division I coaching career, de Souza spent three years (2001-03) as the volleyball coach and co-administrator for two men's teams in the city of Rio Claro, in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. His under-21 men's team was the regional runner-up all three years, while his under-19 men's team was the APV League Champion in 2001 and posted a runner-up finish in 2002. In 1999, de Souza mentored the under-21, under-19 and under-16 women's programs at Club Regatas in Campinas, Brazil.
He also served a three-year stint as the head men's volleyball coach at the State University of Campinas (1995-97), where his team won sectional championships in 1996 and 1997, finished second at the Metropolitan Championships in 1995 and 1996 and placed third in 1997.
From 2001-07, de Souza also worked alongside Antonio Rizola, the head coach of the Brazilian Junior National Team, in developing methods to improve players' game intelligence in preparation for South American and World Championships. In 2007, he volunteered for the Brazilian Youth National Team when it competed at the World Championship in Mexico.
While attending his undergraduate courses in physical education and athletic coaching, de Souza had the chance to be a liaison and interpreter for the U.S. Women's National Team (1994) and Japanese National Junior Team (1993) in their respective visits to world championships in Brazil.
Of note, de Souza has co-authored books and articles on sports and coaching. He also has presented at the Teaching Games for Understanding (TGFU) Conference in Vancouver, Canada (2008), Loughborough, England (2012) and Cologne, Germany (2016).
De Souza graduated with his bachelor's degree from Universidade Estadual de Campinas in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1997 and completed his master's degree at Kent State in 2006.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
De Souza joins the Mountaineer staff after spending seven seasons as the head volleyball coach at Louisiana Tech (2012-18) in Ruston, Louisiana, where he helped the program improve its win total in each of his first five seasons to notch 55 career wins at the helm of the Lady Techsters. De Souza coached five All-Louisiana performers and a pair of All-Conference USA award winners during his tenure. He also produced four All-Conference USA Scholar-Athletes and landed the program's first-ever American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Academic Team Award in 2018.
"I'm very excited to have AD on board and join our West Virginia volleyball family," Sunahara said. "He brings a wealth of experience and has coached on the collegiate and international level. He is a great student of the game and will help WVU and our student-athletes reach new heights."
"I want to thank coach Reed Sunahara for his trust and bringing me to his coaching staff," de Souza said. "It is an honor to be a part of this program, and I am looking forward to collaborating with him in the development of the WVU volleyball team."
The Sao Paulo, Brazil, native has a coaching resume that spans 25 years, boasting stints at the club, high school and collegiate levels, including assistant coaching positions at Illinois State, Miami (Ohio) and Kent State. Responsible for recruiting in multiple roles, de Souza also brings a wealth of international recruiting experience with him to Morgantown.
Prior to his seven-year stint at Tech, de Souza spent four years as the assistant coach at Illinois State (2008-12), where he helped rebuild the Redbirds program and led it to back-to-back semifinal appearances at the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Tournament.
De Souza also served on Miami's staff as an assistant from 2005-07, were he was instrumental in revamping the program's training and scouting systems. With de Souza's support, the Redhawks reached the 2007 NCAA Tournament after capturing the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament title that same season. Miami posted a 20-win season for the first time since 1998, including a pair of victories over nationally-ranked Ohio, the four-time defending conference champion, for its first-ever win over a ranked foe. While at Miami, de Souza assisted in coaching a total of 10 All-MAC selections, including the 2007 MAC Freshman of the Year.
De Souza started his Division I career at Kent State, volunteering for the Golden Flashes' volleyball program for two seasons (2003-05) while completing his master's degree in sports studies.
Before coming to the United States to begin his Division I coaching career, de Souza spent three years (2001-03) as the volleyball coach and co-administrator for two men's teams in the city of Rio Claro, in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. His under-21 men's team was the regional runner-up all three years, while his under-19 men's team was the APV League Champion in 2001 and posted a runner-up finish in 2002. In 1999, de Souza mentored the under-21, under-19 and under-16 women's programs at Club Regatas in Campinas, Brazil.
He also served a three-year stint as the head men's volleyball coach at the State University of Campinas (1995-97), where his team won sectional championships in 1996 and 1997, finished second at the Metropolitan Championships in 1995 and 1996 and placed third in 1997.
From 2001-07, de Souza also worked alongside Antonio Rizola, the head coach of the Brazilian Junior National Team, in developing methods to improve players' game intelligence in preparation for South American and World Championships. In 2007, he volunteered for the Brazilian Youth National Team when it competed at the World Championship in Mexico.
While attending his undergraduate courses in physical education and athletic coaching, de Souza had the chance to be a liaison and interpreter for the U.S. Women's National Team (1994) and Japanese National Junior Team (1993) in their respective visits to world championships in Brazil.
Of note, de Souza has co-authored books and articles on sports and coaching. He also has presented at the Teaching Games for Understanding (TGFU) Conference in Vancouver, Canada (2008), Loughborough, England (2012) and Cologne, Germany (2016).
De Souza graduated with his bachelor's degree from Universidade Estadual de Campinas in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1997 and completed his master's degree at Kent State in 2006.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
VB: BYU Cinematic Recap
Saturday, October 04
2025 Volleyball Coal Rush Uniform Reveal
Thursday, October 02
Jen Greeny | Sept. 23 | ESPN+ Halftime Interview
Tuesday, September 30
VB: Dolphin Volleyball Classic Cinematic Recap
Sunday, September 21
