Giancarlo "G.C." Cava

Biography

Giancarlo “G.C.” Cava enters his 11th season as an assistant coach for the UCLA women’s tennis program in 2025-26. He replaced alumna Laura Gordon as volunteer assistant in 2014, served in the role until 2021 and returned to the staff in 2023-24. The 2024 Bruins made history in Cava’s return, claiming sole possession of the final Pac-12 regular-season championship and an NCAA Championships quarterfinal-round berth. UCLA has advanced to or past the second round of the season-ending tournament in each completed season with Cava on staff. Cava’s first dual-match season came in 2015 and his appointment paid immediate dividends. Coming off its 2014 NCAA title, UCLA again reached the championship match in 2015 before falling short. Following the team’s league-winning campaign in 2024, the Bruins did not miss a beat in their program’s transition to the Big Ten Conference. The 2025 group won 11 of its final 13 matches and earned a spot in the NCAA Championships super-regional round. Honda Award winner Robin Anderson and Jennifer Brady each played one year under Cava, while Catherine Harrison and Kyle McPhillips are among others who have thrived under his tutelage. The combination of Gabby Andrews and Ayan Broomfield won the NCAA doubles championship in 2019 and Elysia Bolton and Jada Hart finished the coronavirus-shortened 2019-20 season atop the ITA doubles rankings. Immediately after his own collegiate career ended, Cava became a teaching professional at Riviera Country Club, a rol