TAMPA, JUNE 6, 2023 – University of South Florida Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly has named Pri Piantadosi-Lima (PREE    pea-ANT-ah-DOE-zee   LEE-mah) as the first head coach of the Bulls' beach volleyball program.
 
A former standout professional beach volleyball player and founder of Optimum Beach, a St. Petersburg-based club program, Piantadosi-Lima was named the 2022 USAV Female Junior Coach of the Year during her work as the head coach of the USAV Beach National Team Development Program (2019-present) and also saw Optimum Beach earn 2022 USAV Beach Club of the Year honors.
 
"We are thrilled that Pri will lead our beach volleyball program and oversee the launch of what we expect to be a very competitive and successful new sport at USF," Kelly said. "She brings vast experience and tremendous success as a player, coach, and founder and operator of one of the most respected club programs in the country, which she built right here in the Bay Area. She has tremendous relationships both nationally and internationally in beach volleyball and is held in very high regard in that community for her passion for the sport and her ability to develop high-level competitors."
 
A co-founder of the Women's Beach Volleyball Coaches Alliance (BVWCA), an organization that provides networking and support for female beach volleyball coaches as well as unique camps and player development, Piantadosi-Lima was a standout player, earning 28 semifinal and 19 finals appearances while capturing eight US professional tournament championships. She was a six-time South American Champion (2009-11) and 2009 Continental Cup Olympic Qualifier champion while playing for Brazil and earned five Brazilian professional tournament titles among her many achievements as a player.
 
"It's an honor to have been chosen to be the very first Beach Volleyball Head Coach for USF Athletics," Piantadosi-Lima said. "I'd like to thank Vice President/Director of Athletics Michael Kelly, Senior Associate Athletics Director Dr. Jodie Libadisos and Deputy Athletics Director Kris Pierce for offering me this position. 
 
"My goal is to make BULLS BEACH nationally known, not only for our our athletic success but for the type of culture and character our teams will have and our success in the classroom. Beach volleyball opened the doors to the world for me, so I hope I can share with our players what it takes to play at the highest level while also preparing them for life outside of college with the help of all the tremendous student-athlete development resources USF has.
 
"The trust that USF Athletics has given me to start the first Bulls Beach Volleyball program will not be taken lightly. With all the support and resources that we will be able to provide student-athletes, we will bring some of the top tier talent in the nation to the Bay! I am more than ready to go meet some future Bulls Beach players!"
 
Her passion for the sport led her to become one of the most sought-after beach volleyball coaches in the country. She previously served as an assistant coach at Eckerd College (2012-18), helping to launch their beach volleyball program in 2015 before going on to help lead the team to its first AVCA National Championship and two consecutive NCAA Championship podium finishes.
 
Piantadosi-Lima became the owner and founder of Optimum Beach (2014-present) in 2014. The club focuses on elite players and specific divisions dedicated to the development of high-level junior players and professional athletes. In her role, she was responsible for the daily operations, finances, budgeting, scheduling, selection and supervision of coaches and fundraising for the multi-location beach volleyball club and training program that has four divisional directors, two administrative staffers and 10 coaches.
 
"I'd like to thank all my Optimum Beach family who have been great supporters of my work and have been with me for almost 10 years," Piantadosi-Lima said. "Thanks to all the coaches, players and parents that have entrusted me with either your career development or volleyball dream. Optimum will continue to grow the game, and I look forward to continuing to fulfill dreams by coaching my CRTP group.
 
"A big thank you to my wife, Michelle, who is not only my number one fan but also my biggest source of support and inspiration. I could not be where I am today without her love and support."
 
Optimum Beach grew to operate satellite locations in Tampa, Tennessee, Kentucky and New York and features "The Optimum Beach Training System" that simulates game situations while integrating drills, agility, strength and conditioning, and mindset training.  Optimum Beach conducts camps and clinics for college coaches and players as well as tournaments and has produced 92 NCAA Division I, II, III and junior college athletes.
 
Piantadosi-Lima was named the 2021 Florida Region Outstanding Club Director and conducted international training in seven countries outside the United States. Optimum Beach has helped produce several outstanding players, including three-time All-American Lexy Denaburg (UCLA, 2021, '22 & '23); 2023 Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year Madison Espy (University of North Florida); 2022 Canadian Provincial Championships winner Emma Braticevic; 2021 USAV U19 World Championship Trials champions Lexy Denaburg and Maddie May-Anderson; 2022-23 USA National Team Juniors Kennedy Coakley, Sam Crosby, Bailey Higgins and Ashley Pater; and 2022 U19 Word Championship runner-up Ashley Pater.
 
Optimum Beach pro teams finished fifth at the 2023 AVP Miami Tournament, seventh at the 2023 AVP New Orleans tournament and recorded three seventh-place finishes in the 2022 AVP Gold Series.
 
A 2003 graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Piantadosi-Lima was inducted into UL-Lafayette's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019. She was a two-time All-Sun Belt selection (2001-02) and won numerous all-tournament awards while putting her name in the volleyball record books, finishing among the all-time leaders in kills, attempts and digs in Ragin' Cajun history. She also served as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) president.
 
A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Piantadosi-Lima started playing volleyball at the age of 15 in Rio and speaks English, Portuguese and Spanish. From age 15 until 19 she played on either the runner-up or champion team in the state, claiming numerous medals in U15, U17 and U19 age groups. At the age of 16, she started playing beach volleyball as well as indoor and was undefeated with her partner in every tournament from 1997-1999.
 
After college, she returned to beach volleyball. In 2009, she made five AVP semifinals and one final appearance. With that breakout year, she earned the 2009 Most Improved Player Award from the AVP. From 2009-2013, Piantadosi-Lima played in the Banco do Brasil Tour, finishing every year among the top five teams and earning five tour titles and three additional finals appearances. She represented Brazil playing in the South American Tour (2009-11) and became a six-time champion.
 
Piantadosi-Lima was the 2009 Brazil Olympic Qualifier champion while also playing in the very first edition of the Continental Cup in 2010, getting the victory for Brazil. In 2011 she played on the FIVB Tour and was an Olympic contender for Brazil. She played on the US Beach Tours (AVP/NVL/Jose Cuervo) from 2004-20, earning eight tournament titles and posting top-five team rankings every season.
 
Piantadosi-Lima resides in Parrish, Fla. with her wife Michelle Piantadosi-Lima, the head coach of the Eckerd College indoor and beach volleyball programs.
 
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics currently sponsors 19 varsity men's and women's teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference, which will expand to 21 teams with the recently announced additions of women's lacrosse (2024-25) and women's beach volleyball. The Bulls' athletic program began in 1965 and is in its 57th season in 2022-23. Nearly 450 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 26 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, including seven trophies in the 2021 calendar year, and own 140 conference titles claimed in 15 sports in department history, led by 20 each for men's tennis and men's soccer. USF has claimed 74 men's conference championships and 64 women's titles, led by 14 in women's tennis and 12 in volleyball. The Bulls have posted a combined annual grade-point average over 3.0 for more than eight straight years and have posted a program record of 17 straight semesters with a combined GPA over 3.0 as of the spring of 2023. USF has had over 600 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17.

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