V O L L E Y B A L L F L A S H B A C K 1997 • Jose Loiola
As one of the most dynamic beach volleyball players of all time, the Brazilian-born Loiola was a force on the AVP Tour for 15 seasons utilizing a combination of sheer athleticism and unbridled passion. He had successful runs with a list of partners that included fellow countrymen Eduardo Bacil, Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos, as well as American stars Kent Steffes and Adam Johnson.
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He left Brazil in 1993 with Bacil to pursue a career on the beach and desire to compete against the best. In those days, that meant the AVP Tour. The FIVB Tour had not yet established itself as a truly competi- tive arena and the only two countries playing a high level of beach vol- leyball were Brazil and the United States.
Loiola, who won 35 AVP titles and 20 FIVB events, was a refugee with a purpose. After only four seasons on the AVP Tour, he won 13 of 22 events in 1997 (12 with Steffes and the other a King of the Beach crown) and a career-best $318,432 in prize money. He could not pocket that kind of cash in Brazil. He played the FIVB Tour primarily with Emanuel Rego, winning 15 times during a fi ve-year stretch.
Loiola and Rego were favorites to win gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, but were upset by Spain’s Javier Bosma and Fabio Diez 17-16 in the single-elimination round of 16. In 2000 the matches were one game to 15 points with a cap at 17, utilizing sideout scoring. That was the lone Olympics Loiola competed in, while Rego is seeking a record sixth Olympics in his home nation of Brazil in 2016.
Loiola, 45, has not played com- petitively since 2010 but has made a mark as one of USA Volleyball’s most impressive Beach High Perfor- mance coaches. He also works with the professional team of Nick Lucena and Theo Brunner. He is hoping to return to Rio de Janeiro next year as a coach.
— Jon Hastings
BRAZILIAN BOMBER: High-fl ying attacks made Jose Loiola a crowd favorite, but now he is on the sidelines as a coach for USA Volleyball’s Beach High Performance program.
72 | VOLLEYBALLUSA • Digital Issue at
usavolleyball.org/mag
ose Loiola was truly a man with two countries at the peak of his playing days.
PHOTO: PETER BROUILLET
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