Danny Alvarez

Danny Alvarez is the Head Volleyball Coach at the University of Mānoa.

Danny Alvarez was selected as the head coach of the University of Hawai'i beach volleyball program by athletics director Matt Elliott on July, 7, 2025.

Alvarez is the fifth head coach in the program's history and returns to Manoa after previously serving as a UH assistant coach for nearly a decade.

"We are thrilled to welcome Coach Danny back to the UH 'ohana," Elliott said. "He helped build UH beach volleyball from the very start and played a pivotal role in creating a program that competed at the highest level. His love for the sport, his alma mater, and for our student-athletes is unquestioned and I know he'll give his absolute best effort as our new head coach."

"I'm truly honored to be back at the University of Hawai'i," Alvarez said. "This is a special opportunity and we're fully committed to making the student-athlete experience the best in the country. Our aspiration is to build a national championship-caliber program. There's exciting work ahead and we're ready for the challenge."

Alvarez, who boasts three decades of coaching experience, previously served as an assistant for the BeachBows from 2012-19, as well as during the 2023 campaign.

In his first stint at UH, Alvarez was instrumental in building the foundation for the fledgling Rainbow Wahine program and quickly developing the 'Bows into a national contender. The Honolulu native served as the sole assistant coach in the inaugural 2012 season. He helped numerous indoor players make the transition to sand, while further developing the experienced sand players.

What soon followed was six straight national tournament appearances, three Big West titles, and the program's first No. 1 ranking during the 2015 season. Following that season he was named Coach of the Year at UH's annual "H" Awards event.

The success continued in his second stint as an assistant in 2023 when the team returned to the NCAAs for the sixth time and finished in the top 10 of the final AVCA poll. Widely-regarded for his focus on player development, he helped the pair of Kaylee Glagau and Brooke Van Sickle earn AVCA All-America and Big West Player of the Year honors that season. In all, he has coached 11 AVCA All-Americans and 24 all-conference players during his time at UH.

Beyond his experience at UH, Alvarez has earned a stellar reputation as a life-long and deeply- embedded member of the island volleyball community. He has mentored countless student-athletes on the high school and club level in both the indoor and beach game. He has also provided elite training for more than a half dozen professional players, including former UH standout and AVP champion Carly Kan.

On the men's side, he has coached AVP champion and Honolulu native Trevor Crabb since 2019 and guided Crabb and partner Theo Brunner's during their run to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.