LMU Beach Volleyball Head Coach John Mayer announced the addition of the winningest coach in Cal State Bakersfield history, Cesar Benatti, as a member of the Lions coaching staff. Beginning in the 2023-24 school year, Benatti served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the four-time defending WCC Champion beach volleyball program. The 2024-2025 season is his second with the Lions.
In 2024, Benatti helped lead the Lions to the 2024 NCAA Championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama and finish the year ranked eighth in the final AVCA Beach Volleyball poll. The Lions won a game at the NCAA Championships, defeating #9 Hawaii, 3-1. Benatti helped coach two AVCA First Team All-Americans, the WCC Pair of the Year, the WCC Defensive Player of the Year, four First Team All-WCC performers, and two Second Team All-WCC Performers.
“First off, I am incredibly thankful to Craig Pintens and President Snyder for continuing to believe in our program and working to provide this position for our team,” said Mayer. “It shows their belief in what we can accomplish in this program; a world-class training environment, care for the whole person, and bringing home LMU’s first NCAA national championship! We are so excited to have the opportunity to add Cesar to our staff. He was instrumental in helping Bakersfield’s program improve each year as they continued to rise into national prominence. He’s a great fit for our program because he is first a learner. He’s always asking questions and seeking out ways to better himself as a communicator and leader. His curiosity and eagerness to learn is what we most value in this program.”
Benatti spend nine seasons at CSU Bakersfield prior to moving to The Bluff. He was named Head Beach Volleyball Coach at CSUB on June 29, 2016, which is a role he held for the last six years. Benatti was also an assistant coach for the CSUB indoor volleyball team through the 2021 season.
In 2023, the Roadrunners won 16 matches with a .615 win percentage, which were both program records. Benatti also has experience coaching at the national level as he is a three-time USA Volleyball NTDP coach. During the 2022 Summer Series, he served as the U16/15 Assistant Coach before being named the team's Associate Head Coach for the Fall Series. In Winter 2022, Benatti was the U16/15 Head Coach for the USA Development Program.
In his time with the CSUB indoor squad, Benatti helped lead the indoor volleyball program to a pair of Western Athletic Conference Tournament titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances (2014 and 2017) as well as an NIVC postseason appearance (2021).
Benatti played professional volleyball in Brazil until 2000, when he started as an assistant coach in Esporte Clube Pinheiros. In Pinheiros, Benatti was a two-time state champion and a two-time Metropolitan area champion. From 2002-2009, Benatti was the conditioning and assistant coach at Club Athlético Paulistano. In his time with Athlético Paulistano, Benatti’s 17 and under team was Metropolitan champions in 2006 and state champions in 2007.
Benatti also worked as head coach at three universities in Brazil; FMU from 2002-06, University Mackenzie from 2006-09, where he won two state championships, and Casper Líbero from 2012-14, winning several local tournaments.
“Cesar is also someone who values building relationships and caring for the person beyond just an athlete,” said Mayer. “He’ll also be a huge asset on the international recruiting scene as he has connections both in Europe in South America which are vital recruiting networks for our continued success. We’re so excited to welcome Cesar and his family to LMU!”
A native of São Paulo, Brazil, Benatti lives in Bakersfield with his wife, Fernanda, and their daughter, Liz.
LMU finished the season ranked fifth in the nation. This is the third consecutive season that the Lions have closed the year with at least a top-5 ranking.
