Carlos Moreno joined San Diego volleyball in December of 2022 as the Toreros' associate head coach. He will enter his fourth season with USD in 2026.
Moreno’s career record at USD is 53-19 with a .736 winning percentage.
With Moreno as associate head coach, USD has won a WCC Championship (2025), secured an NCAA Tournament berth (2025), and developed:
- Two WCC Setters of the Year
- Two WCC Freshmen of the Year
- 10 All-WCC First Team selections
- Three All-WCC Second Team selections
- Five All-WCC Honorable Mentions
- Five All-WCC Freshman Team selections
- Three WCC All-Academic First Team selections
- And four WCC All-Academic Honorable Mentions
In 2025, Moreno helped lead USD back to the postseason for the first time since 2022 as San Diego posted a 25-5 overall record and an 18-0 mark in WCC play. After going 7-4 through a formidable non-conference schedule that included four wins over Top-50 teams and clashes with five programs that went on to qualify for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, the Toreros closed the regular season on an 18-match win streak and went undefeated in West Coast Conference play to win the 2025 WCC Championship and become the first team in the country to qualify for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. USD clinched the conference title with a memorable 3-0 sweep of rival Pepperdine before a season-high crowd of 1,103 in the Jenny Craig Pavilion on November 20, then completed just the third perfect WCC season in program history when it beat Gonzaga on Senior Day at the JCP nine days later.
USD’s dominant campaign earned it the WCC's automatic qualifier to the postseason and the No. 8 seed in the Nebraska quadrant of the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket, where it matched up with Kansas State at the renowned Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln. The Toreros took the first set and rallied for a thrilling 28-26 victory in set three, but eventually suffered a narrow 3-2 loss to conclude a thrilling year that vaulted San Diego back to national prominence as it totaled the fourth-most victories in a single season in program history.
After the 2025 season concluded, Nemo Beach was named the 2025 WCC Player of the Year, Kylie Munday was named the 2025 WCC Setter of the Year, and Olivia Bennett was named the 2025 WCC Libero of the Year. Four San Diego players earned 2025 All-WCC honors, including four to the First Team, one to the Second Team, two as Honorable Mentions, and one to the Freshman Team.
Moreno's tutelage also helped a Torero dynamic duo receive national recognition. Beach was named a 2025 AVCA All-American Honorable Mention, while Munday was selected as a 2025 AVCA All-Pacific Region Honorable Mention. Additionally, Bennett was named to the 2025 WCC Volleyball All-Academic Team, while Munday and Tatum Lane received 2025 WCC Volleyball All-Academic Honorable Mentions.
In 2024, Moreno helped steer the Toreros to a 19-9 overall record and a 14-4 finish in WCC play, tying for second place in the conference. The team’s season was highlighted by an undefeated run at the LSU Invitational and statement victories over No. 17 BYU and WCC rival Pepperdine. Isabel Clark was named WCC Freshman of the Year, while Kylie Munday earned WCC Setter of the Year honors. Clark, Kristen Erland, and Haylee Stoner were selected to the All-WCC First Team, Nemo Beach was named to the All-WCC Second Team, and Madi Allen and Kennedy Osunsanmi received All-WCC Honorable Mentions. Stoner was also recognized on the All-WCC Academic Team, with Olivia Bennett earning a WCC Academic Honorable Mention.
In his first season with the program, the Toreros finished with a 16-10 overall record and a 12-4 mark in conference play, which was good for a third-place finish in the West Coast Conference. Outside hitter Nemo Beach was named the WCC Freshman of the Year alongside All-WCC First Team selections for Leyla Blackwell, Kylie Pries, and Amber Stivrins, and an All-WCC Second Team recognition for Haylee Stoner. Additionally, Stoner (First Team) and setter Isadora Tercariol (Honorable Mention) earned WCC academic honors.
Moreno was previously at Arizona State, where he had been the Sun Devils' associate head coach since February of 2017. In March of 2022, he was named an assistant coach for the 2022 U.S. Women's Collegiate National Team (WCNT).
He helped steer ASU through a developmental period across his six seasons in Phoenix, assisting the Sun Devils in three Top-15 wins and an AVCA Top 25 ranking in 2018, sweeps over Arizona, Oregon, and Oregon State in 2019, two wins over ranked opponents in the challenging, COVID-19-altered 2020-2021 season, and four wins against ranked Pac-12 teams this year in 2022. That campaign saw him coach setter Ella Snyder to a team-high 1,029 assists, the most by a single Sun Devil since 2014.
While with the WCNT in 2022, he was tasked with observing and evaluating NCAA athletes with the highest potential alongside the six other members of the program's coaching staff, which included three Olympic medal winners and two others with Olympic coaching experience. The team included 38 of the country's top collegiate women's volleyball players at the National Team Training Center in Anaheim, California, where they trained among the best collegiate players in the country, watched the WNT training sessions, studied the USA systems, and met with Tokyo 2020 Olympians and were observed by the WNT staff.
Being a part of a Final Four Program is a huge honor, an enormous privilege, and a great responsibility. In addition, what excites me about this, is the tradition that separates USD from other universities, the foundation that has been built perennially, and the chance to work and learn from a great staff. Jennifer has established herself as one of the nation's most successful volleyball coaches and Jimmy is a great volleyball mind. Their drive, vision, moral values and standards align perfectly with mine."
Moreno came to Arizona State from Southern Miss, where during his one-year tenure he operated in a number of facets, including on-court coaching, recruiting, fundraising, and compliance. Moreno most notably worked extensively with the team's offensive systems and setters, including the Golden Eagles' All-Conference honoree Sarah Bell.
Prior to his stint at Southern Miss, Moreno garnered coaching experience directing camps and clinics in his native country of Brazil, while also serving as the head coach of the University of Sao Paulo Women's Volleyball Team from 2000 to 2002.
Preceding his coaching career, Moreno compiled a prolific playing career as a setter at Brigham Young University, garnering essentially every national award possible, including AVCA and MPSF Player of the year honors. A three-year starter for the Cougars, Moreno amassed 4,628 career assists, marking the second-most in program history, while adding 78 career aces (4th-most in program history). Spearheading BYU NCAA Championship runs in 2003 and 2004, Moreno earned a plethora of Player of the Year and MVP honors while also being placed on MSPF's and AVCA's respective first-teams.
A two-time All-American and the 2004 AVCA National Player of the Year, Moreno led the Cougars to two NCAA tournament appearances, including the 2004 National Championship, and a pair of MPSF Conference titles.
COLLEGE CAREER ACCOLADES:
- NCAA National Champion and MVP (2004)
- NCAA All Tournament Team (2004)
- AVCA NCAA player of the year (2004)
- Conference player of the year and MVP (2004)
- All American First Team (2003/04)
Moreno earned a bachelor degree in advertising and marketing at Brigham Young University in 2005.
His playing career extended beyond the collegiate ranks, as the Brazil native competed 11 years professionally, concluding his career as a captain of TLM - Volley in France. Moreno was named to two all-star games and was named as one of the best setters at the 2013 CEV Champions League. He won three league championships, one in Brazil, two in France and another one at the European Championships when playing in Slovenia.
The son of Antonio and Selma Moreno, Moreno is the oldest sibling of six children. Antonio Moreno participated in four Olympics as a member of the Brazilian National volleyball team. Moreno's twin sister Anna Allison was the head coach of Bucknell University volleyball team for seven seasons.
Carlos is joined in San Diego by his wife Maria Eduarda, their son Lucas, and their daughter Liz.
