Selah Neal

Coach Steve Guglielmana was honored with a signed picture from the 2024 FC girl’s varsity volleyball team.

Shoes squeak while sprinting across the gymnasium floor. The crowd hushes as the player is set to serve. Spectators clap emphatically as their team scores a point after an action-packed rally. The smile and congratulations can be heard coming from the coach – the one most invested in the game.

Beloved Girls and Boys Varsity Volleyball Coach Steve Guglielmana celebrates his 500th win in his coaching career with a win against Fowler Sept. 26. He received a plaque honoring him for not only his 500th win, but for all he has done for the volleyball community across the Central Valley, Oct. 3.

Dedicating abundant time to the teams he coaches, players display gratitude for his training and instruction. Guglielmana coached volleyball for 37 years, beginning in 1987 with a job at Bullard High School. Over the span of 37 years, Gugliemana has impacted various players from different backgrounds – all with a common passion for volleyball. 

His passion and successful teachings are exemplified through the numerous awards his teams have won, varying from Valley Championships to National Awards. He remains humble in his career, instilling God in what he teaches and investing in all who seek his advice, no matter prior experience. With a life full of volleyball experience, Guglielmana aims to continue to pass down the knowledge and wisdom he has collected along the way. 

“What keeps me motivated is the athletes, being able to pour into them and seeing them get excited about playing,” Guglielmana said. “The most enjoyable times are watching the teams celebrate an accomplishment and realizing that their work is producing fruit.”

In the fall 2021, Guglielmana assumed the role of head coach for both boys and girls varsity volleyball teams at Fresno Christian High School. From 2021 to currently, he has remained the head coach, striving to create a unified and Christ-like team. 

Before teaching others how to play the sport, Guglielmana played volleyball for the vast majority of his life, beginning with the Madera High School volleyball team from 1982 to 1985. Guglielmana began coaching the Bullard High School Boys Volleyball team one full year after graduating high school. Igniting his passion for helping players improve, Guglielmana continued on to coach six more teams and was a head coach for multiple of them. 

As well as joining pre-existing teams to coach, he opened his home property in 2011 to contain multiple sand courts for beach volleyball, which would be a part of  Triumph Volleyball Academy. TVA was founded by both Guglielmana and his wife, meant to honor and keep the memory alive of his late son, Landon Guglielmana. From 1987 to early 2021, he journeyed through the coaching world in the Central valley, implementing his lessons to diverse crowds of student-athletes at a total of four schools. 

Pouring into athletes is Guglielmana’s specialty, as he can often be found on the court helping new and experienced players improve not only their skills but also growing their faith. Through practices, games, and pep talks, he gives his players insight into the bigger meaning behind the sport. 

Varsity volleyball player Jordyn Degroot,‘26, has played for Guglielmana for a total of three years as a middle blocker, an outside hitter, and an opposite hitter.

“Coach G. stands out because of his focus on sports,” Degroot said. “There is a bigger goal we are working towards and that’s why he makes every moment count as the most important. He has helped me improve the most with my relationship with Christ, because my identity is in Christ and not in sports.”

Through the sport of volleyball, Guglielmana has impacted people from all backgrounds, leading them toward Christ in all he teaches and coaches. 

For more from The Feather’s athletic page, visit Athlete Spotlight: Sarah Guglielmana strives for excellence or  Racing under the lights at the 43rd Annual Woodbridge Invitational.