Nick Lucena - Assistant Coach - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Nick Lucena

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Assistant Coach
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Nick Lucena, who has competed in the Olympic Games twice during his playing career, enters his fifth season as an assistant coach for the Florida State beach volleyball team in 2026. In his four seasons, Florida State has reached the NCAA Tournament all four years and are 122-41 in his tenure.

Lucena was a volunteer assistant coach at Florida State in 2022 and helped the Seminoles reach the NCAA National Championship game. Florida State went 33-11 his first year, with 24 victories over nationally-ranked opponents, including 13 in the top 10.

As a full-time assistant in 2023, Lucena and the Seminoles went 32-9 with 21 ranked wins, reaching the NCAA Quarterfinals before falling to UCLA. In 2024, the Noles posted a 31-8 record and a program-high 13 wins at home. Florida State earned 14 wins over nationally ranked opponents, with five coming over top-10 teams. Lucena helped the Noles win their seventh CCSA Championship in eight years and helped guide the Noles to a quarterfinals appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

In his fourth season at Florida State, Lucena helped guide the Seminoles to a 26-13 record, including 16 wins over nationally ranked teams and six victories against top-10 opponents. The Seminoles reached their eighth CCSA Championship match in nine years and advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals in 2025.

Lucena and volleyball partner Phil Dalhausser finished in fifth place in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and competed in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. In 2016, the pair qualified for Olympic play as the third-seeded pair in the tournament, and were undefeated in pool play before falling to the gold medal-winning pair from Brazil. In 2020, the pair qualified as the ninth-seed and finished with a 2-1 record in pool play.

As an accomplished professional, Lucena has earned 16 AVP Tournament wins and nine FIVB Tournament victories. He was named the Top Defensive Player by volleyballmag.com and as the Team of the Year (with Dalhausser) in the AVP in 2017. He was named the USAV Beach Team of the Year (also with Dalhausser) in 2015. Lucena is a two-time AVP Defensive Player of the Year (in 2008 and 2014), and was named as the Most Improved Player on the AVP Tour in 2008.

Lucena graduated from Florida State in 2003 with a degree in sport management. Lucena and his wife, Brooke Niles, are the proud parents of Gunnar, Cole, and Ryder.