Ruben Volta completed his 14th season with Sacramento State’s beach volleyball program in 2026 where he served as assistant coach. During his first 13 years with the program, he was head coach or co-head coach.
He will also enter his 19th season as the head coach of the Hornets’ indoor program in the fall of 2026.
Volta was instrumental in Sacramento State adding beach volleyball to its roster of sports in the spring of 2013. His vision for on-campus beach volleyball became a reality when the program unveiled its brand new facility in April of 2021. The 26,000 square foot complex, which has a seating capacity of 250 spectators, took four months to build and is located on the west side of campus. Prior to the inception of Hornet Beach, the team had practiced and played its matches at locations that were 20-30 minute drives from campus.
In 2026, Volta helped coach the beach program to its best campaign in program history (2013-pres.). The Hornets finished with 14 wins, easily surpassing the previous high water mark. In addition, the Hornets’ duo of Kate Doorn/Mia Guevara finished the season with a 20-11 record. The 20 victories were a new program single-season record for a Hornet pair. Volta also helped coach Ashlynn Archer to 40 career wins, the third best mark in school history.
In indoor, Volta Volta has guided the program to a combined 206-131 overall record and a 126-53 mark in league play over the last 11 seasons.
The program has won at least 20 matches three straight years, including a 20-10 overall mark and 12-4 in the Big Sky (second place) in 2025. Also, during the 2025 season, the Hornets won four Big Sky individual awards for the first time in program history - Victoria Marthaler (MVP), Doorn (Setter of the Year), Reese Ampi (Libero of the Year) and Keonahi’ilani Solaita (Freshman of the Year).
The Hornets have finished no worse than 10-6 in conference each of the last six seasons, and during that time, Volta coached the program’s second and third Div. I All-Americans. That included Victoria Marthaler in 2025 and Bridgette Smith in 2023. Prior to that, Sacramento State hadn’t produced an All-American since 1995.
Since 2015, Sacramento State is 79-13 (.859 winning percentage) at home against Big Sky opposition. Also, during that 11-year stretch, the team won a Big Sky Tournament crown (2024), two Big Sky regular season titles (2023, 2017), back-to-back Big Sky South Division championships (2017, 2016), and has garnered at least three all-conference selections each of those seasons. In fact, the Hornets haven’t finished below .500 in league play 11 straight years, and have finished fifth or higher in the standings every season.
Volta has been a member of Sacramento State’s coaching staff a combined 26 years, including one year as the associate head coach (2007), five years as an assistant (2002-06), and two seasons as a volunteer assistant (2000-01).
During Volta’s 26-year tenure with the program, Sacramento State has combined for a 497-322 overall record (.607 winning percentage), a 278-139 mark (.667) in the Big Sky, eight Big Sky Tournament championships, seven regular season conference titles, eight NCAA Tournament appearances, and two trips to the NIVC.
Also, during that 26-year span, Sacramento State players have combined for 142 all-academic selections, 90 all-conference awards (including 33 first team selections), two All-Americans, six MVPs and six all-Pacific Region selections.
In addition, during every season of Volta’s head coaching tenure, the Hornets have had at least three Big Sky all-academic selections. That includes 12 during the 2025 season.
Volta’s players graduate as well. Of the 57 student-athletes that have expired their eligibility during Volta’s head coaching tenure, 56 have graduated.
A graduate of Sacramento State in 1993 with a degree in physical education, Volta played four years for the Hornet men’s club team (1991-93, 1995). He starred for the 1995 squad that went undefeated and won the National Club Championship. That season, Volta earned All-America honors as a setter and was named all-tourney at the Big 10 Tournament. He was inducted into the Sacramento State Men’s Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2009.
In 1995, he opened the High Voltage volleyball facility in Sacramento, and began running a juniors club. In 1997, the club operated 18 juniors teams of different age groups.
In the seven years of High Voltage’s existence, the team qualified for the junior nationals (18-open division) five times, including an 11th-place finish in 1996. The junior nationals include the top 32 teams in the country.
He also spent the 2001 season coaching the 18-under Davis club team and spent time as an assistant coach at Rio Americano High School for one season (1999) where he helped guide the Raiders to the Sac-Joaquin Section championship. Prior to that, Volta spent two seasons as the varsity head coach at Country Day High School (1998-99) where the team finished third in the section championships. He started his coaching career at Grant High School in 1992, spending two years as the varsity head coach for the boys and girls teams.
Volta, who resides in Sacramento, also taught physical education at Sacramento’s St. Philomenes School from 1999-2002.
