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USC Volleyball Coach Abruptly Steps Away, Program Makes Multiple Immediate Changes

USC head coach Brad Keller is taking an indefinite personal leave, prompting the Trojans to make multiple changes to their coaching staff and leadership structure.
Maren Angus|
Brad Keller has stepped away from the USC volleyball program and Megan Moenoa will fill in as interim head coach.
Brad Keller has stepped away from the USC volleyball program and Megan Moenoa will fill in as interim head coach. | Kim Ly/USC Athletics

Brad Keller stepped away from the Southern California volleyball program on an indefinite personal leave on Oct. 5.

The Women of Troy's head coach was in his seventh season at the helm of the program.

According to a university press release, Keller was not at either of USC's matches against Michigan and Michigan State on Oct. 2 and 4.

Associate head coach Megan Moenoa was the acting head coach in Keller's absence and was named the program's interim head coach. Director of operations Julian Welsh-White has added assistant coaching duties and Amir Lugo-Rodriguez was hired as interim assistant coach on Thursday.

USC will have its first official test since the university announced Keller's on Friday, when the Women of Troy travel to No. 16 Purdue. The Trojans will then travel to Indiana on Sunday for a showdown with the No. 15 Indiana Hoosiers.

The Trojans are currently 7-7 overall and 1-3 in Big Ten play.

Who is Megan Moenoa?

Moenoa is in her second year as an associate head coach at USC and fourth year overall. She was initially hired as the volunteer assistant in March 2023 and was elevated to a full-time assistant coach in July of that year.

Before joining the Trojans, Moenoa was an assistant coach at UC Irvine for five years, including four as a full-time assistant (2016-19).

Moenoa also has experience as a coach with Mizuno Long Beach Volleyball Club and as the director of the Long Beach Volleyball Club Girls' program.

The Southern California native played college volleyball at UCLA, where she was a setter. She won a national championship with the Bruins in 2011 and graduated in 2015.

Who is Julian Welsh-White?

Welsh-White has been USC's director of operations for the last five seasons (2021-25) and joined the Trojans following three seasons (2018-21) as an assistant coach at Howard University.

Before his stint with the Bison, Welsh-White served as the volunteer assistant coach at South Carolina in 2017. There, he had scout duties and assisted in the training of the Gamecocks' middle blockers.

Welsh-White spent four years at Ball State (2012-15), playing three seasons and redshirting for another due to injury. He transferred to Springfield College for his final year and helped the Pride to an NCAA Division III runner-up finish in 2016.

Who is Amir Lugo-Rodriguez?

Lugo-Rodriguez comes to USC after serving as an assistant coach for the Long Beach State men's volleyball team for the 2026 season and was a coach with the UCLA women's program for two seasons. He was an assistant in 2023 and was the associate head coach in 2024.

Before arriving at UCLA, Lugo-Rodriguez was an assistant coach at Northwestern for two seasons (2021-22) and had the same role for two seasons at Cal (2019-20).

Prior to coaching, he was the director of operations for the Long Beach State men's volleyball team in 2018, when the 49ers won the Big West regular-season title and captured the 2018 NCAA Championship.

As a player, Lugo-Rodriguez participated in the U.S. National Team Program where he started as a middle blocker for Team USA in the 2017 World University Games. In college, he starred as a middle blocker at LBSU and helped lead the 49ers to two straight NCAA Final Four appearances in 2016 and 2017.

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Maren Angus
MAREN ANGUS

Maren Angus was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the publisher of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

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