Women's Tennis
Cava, Giancarlo "G.C."
Giancarlo "G.C." Cava
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- gcava@athletics.ucla.edu
Giancarlo “G.C.” Cava rejoined the UCLA women's tennis program as assistant coach for his ninth season in 2023-24. He replaced alumna Laura Gordon as volunteer assistant in 2014 and served in the role until 2021. 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. Over his time on staff, the Bruins have put together a 96-35 (.733) overall record and a 38-11 (.776) conference mark. 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 role that lasted until 2018—a span of 12 years. From 2008-2012, he also served as the head pro of Riviera’s junior program, leading summer camps and supervising the junior program during the school year.
Cava played collegiately from 2003-06 at UC Riverside, where he manned Court 6 to the tune of three singles wins and also came out on top of four doubles decisions in his debut season. It was in the 2005-06 campaign that his tennis career took a turn. Cava assumed a role of player-coach, oftentimes guiding his teammates in singles play after participating in doubles. The Highlanders saw dramatic improvement to their team’s on-court performance during Cava’s time on campus, winning eight more matches in 2005-06 than they did in 2003-04.
A Southern California native, Cava is an avid CrossFit athlete and trainer.
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. Over his time on staff, the Bruins have put together a 96-35 (.733) overall record and a 38-11 (.776) conference mark. 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 role that lasted until 2018—a span of 12 years. From 2008-2012, he also served as the head pro of Riviera’s junior program, leading summer camps and supervising the junior program during the school year.
Cava played collegiately from 2003-06 at UC Riverside, where he manned Court 6 to the tune of three singles wins and also came out on top of four doubles decisions in his debut season. It was in the 2005-06 campaign that his tennis career took a turn. Cava assumed a role of player-coach, oftentimes guiding his teammates in singles play after participating in doubles. The Highlanders saw dramatic improvement to their team’s on-court performance during Cava’s time on campus, winning eight more matches in 2005-06 than they did in 2003-04.
A Southern California native, Cava is an avid CrossFit athlete and trainer.
UCLA W. Tennis Postmatch - Olivia Center & Kate Fakih (Nov. 23, 2024)
Sunday, November 24
Media Availability - Coach Sampras Webster (May 15, 2024)
Thursday, May 16
NCAA First and Second Rounds
Friday, May 03
Postmatch Interviews: Fangran Tian/Rance Brown (May 27, 2023)
Saturday, May 27
