WASHINGTON – AJ Bonetti has been named the head coach of the Georgetown University volleyball team, as announced by Francis X. Rienzo Director of Athletics Lee Reed on Wednesday. Bonetti becomes the 10th head coach for the Hoyas in program history.
"I am very excited to welcome Coach Bonetti and his family to the Hilltop," said Reed. "His experience working at all levels of collegiate volleyball, his vast local network and his demonstrated commitment to student-athlete formation, made him an ideal candidate to lead our program."
Bonetti comes to the Hilltop from Maryland where he has served as an assistant coach for the past five seasons. Under his tutelage, the Terrapins developed into one of the best defensive teams at the net and led the NCAA in blocks per set (3.11) in 2021. Additionally, he mentored Rainelle Jones to lead the nation in total blocks (187) and blocks per set (1.73) that year.
In the past two seasons, the Terps have combined for 35 wins and claimed a trio of victories over top-10 AVCA ranked opponents. Maryland knocked off second-ranked Wisconsin 3-2 at home in the 2021 Big Ten opener, swept No. 9 Purdue on the road in 2022 and topped fifth-ranked Ohio State 3-1 in College Park last season.
"I am honored to become the next head coach of the Georgetown University volleyball program," Bonetti said. "From my first visit to campus, it was immediately evident to me that this world-class institution is truly capable of attracting the highest caliber student-athlete. I would like to thank Lee Reed and Sharon Brummell for their trust in me to lead this prestigious program into the future. My family and I are looking forward to immersing ourselves into the community and I cannot wait to get started building this program."
Prior to his time in College Park, Bonetti was an assistant at Tennessee for two seasons. With the Volunteers, he helped develop Erica Treiber into one of the nation's best middle hitters, earning AVCA All-Southeast Region and Honorable Mention All-America honors.
Before heading to Rocky Top, Bonetti spent seven seasons at UNC Wilmington including a promotion to associate head coach for his final two years. The Seahawks posted three 20-win seasons during his time with the program and won the Colonial Athletic Association championship with a 24-8 record his final season in 2015. Ten UNCW players earned All-CAA accolades under his watch, including four during the 2015 championship campaign.
Bonetti started his coaching career locally at George Washington for two seasons as a graduate assistant and volunteer assistant. He served as the team's video coordinator and oversaw the program's strength and conditioning efforts.
On the national scene, Bonetti has worked with the USA Volleyball men's national team, serving as statistician for the team's world league events in America in 2008. He also assisted in operations and facility management of all matches and worked as director of statistical acquisition for the High Performance Championships in Tucson, Arizona, leading an eight-member team who acquired volleyball related statistical data at the event.
A Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania native, Bonetti graduated from East Stroudsburg in 2005 with a degree in exercise physiology and earned his master's in exercise science from GW in 2008. He and his wife Jamie have a son, Anderson.