THE FLATS – No. 24 Georgia Tech volleyball head coach Michelle Collier announced the promotion of Claudio Pinheiro from assistant coach to associate head coach on Thursday.
“Claudio has made a tremendous impact in our program from day one,” said Collier. “His commitment to excellence and his experience makes him one of the best coaches out there, and I have been privileged to continue to grow professionally alongside him. Together with the rest of our staff, we will continue to work hard for our players to help them achieve their highest potential and win championships.”
Pinheiro, now entering his fifth season on The Flats, first arrived as an assistant coach in August of 2017. Since joining the Jackets, the Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, native has helped bolster the team’s success each season. The Gold and White have steadily improved in the win column, going 26-8 on the way to an NIVC title in 2019 before reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2020, advancing to the second round in the Brazilian’s fourth season.
Pinheiro has sparked the Tech offense as he works directly with the team’s setters. Over the last two seasons alone, the veteran coach’s aid has helped the Jackets as a unit post some of the best numbers in the conference and the country. In 2020, Tech led the ACC and ranked 10th in the NCAA in hitting percentage (0.285), finished second in the conference in assists per set (12.81) and placed second in the league in kills per set (13.78). In 2019, Pinheiro helped Tech lead the ACC in kills (1,744), aces (170), assists (1,609) and hitting percentage (0.282), also ranking 12th in the country in kills and 13th in the nation in assists and hitting percentage.
Individually, the Brazilian’s work with setter Matti McKissock helped the current senior become ACC Setter of the Year in 2019 as she led the ACC in assists (1,387) and assists per set (11.28), placing 11th and the 12th in the aforementioned categories in the NCAA ranks, respectively. Through Pinheiro’s guidance in her career, McKissock is now ninth in program history in career assists (2,792).
Pinheiro came to Tech already boasting a lucrative collection of accolades, including gold medals from the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games with the Brazil Women’s National Volleyball Team, from his wealth of professional and international coaching experience. The renowned coach has been in the ranks since 1985, helping lead Brazil along with multiple professional clubs on his way to claiming a Pan American Games championship, three Pan-American Cup championships, eight World Grand Prix championships, six South American Championships, two World Grand Champions Cups and four Montreux Volleyball Masters championships.
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