Completed Event: Volleyball versus Georgia Southern on October 25, 2025 , Win , 3, to, 2 , (27-25, 23-25, 25-13, 22-25, 15-10)
VB
Final
James Madison
3
vs Georgia Southern
(27-25, 23-25, 25-13, 22-25, 15-10)
2
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
Volleyball
Rafael Lima
- Title:
- Volunteer Assistant Coach
- Email:
- rochalrx@jmu.edu
- Phone:
- 540-568-7921
- Physical Address:
- Godwin 204 (261 Bluestone Dr.) / MSC 2301
Rafael Lima joined the JMU volleyball program as a volunteer assistant coach during the 2016 season Head Coach Lauren Steinbrecher announced. Lima primarily assists coaching the Madison setters.
During his first season with the Dukes, Lima helped rally JMU to an incredible turnaround season. After starting Colonial Athletic Association play with a 3-5 mark, James Madison went undefeated in the final eight games to win the regular-season title outright and finishing on top of the league standings for the second season in a row, marking the first time since 1998 and 1999 that JMU has won back-to-back regular season titles.Â
The top-seeded Dukes swept No.5 Towson in Wilmington to advanced to the the CAA Championship match for the first time since 2002. Madison knocked off sixth-seeded Delaware in straight sets to win the conference championship for the first time since 2000, earning the CAA's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
The Dukes closed the 2016 season falling to Coastal Carolina in five sets during the first round of the NCAA Tournament as the Dukes won their first NCAA Tournament set in program history. JMU finished the season with a 21-11 overall record, the third consecutive season the Dukes have won at least 17 games.Â
Lima comes to JMU after serving as a head coach for the Landsharks club volleyball team in Lawrence, Kan. and has extensive experience as a professional player and coach in his home country of Brazil. Before moving to the United States to expand his coaching career, Lima as a strength and condition coach at Biodelta Institute in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The Brazilian native began his coaching career as an assistant for the Sao Paulo state team from 2004 before serving as a supervisor and head coach at the Athletic Club Cooper Cotia in 2006, a position he held until 2013. Lima also worked with the Esporte Clube Pinheiros, serving as the volleyball coordinator from 2008 until 2011 before taking over as head coach until 2015.
Receiving his Level II and Level III coach certificate from the Brazilian Volleyball Confederation in 2010 and 2011, respectively, Lima served as the head coach at the University Santanna in Sao Paulo over that period.
During his coaching tenure in Brazil, Lima has coached three U17 men’s club team championship squads (2011, 2012, 2013) and led the U19 men’s team to the 2014 championship. Lima also guided the U12 and U14 women’s teams to second-place finishes in 2011 and 2013, respectively.
Lima received his bachelor’s degree in sports science with an emphasis in physical education in 2010 from the Universidade Unisant’anna in Sao Paulo while earning a master’s degree in sports science in 2014 from UNIP in Sao Paulo. Lima also played professionally in Brazil over four years (2001-2004).
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During his first season with the Dukes, Lima helped rally JMU to an incredible turnaround season. After starting Colonial Athletic Association play with a 3-5 mark, James Madison went undefeated in the final eight games to win the regular-season title outright and finishing on top of the league standings for the second season in a row, marking the first time since 1998 and 1999 that JMU has won back-to-back regular season titles.Â
The top-seeded Dukes swept No.5 Towson in Wilmington to advanced to the the CAA Championship match for the first time since 2002. Madison knocked off sixth-seeded Delaware in straight sets to win the conference championship for the first time since 2000, earning the CAA's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
The Dukes closed the 2016 season falling to Coastal Carolina in five sets during the first round of the NCAA Tournament as the Dukes won their first NCAA Tournament set in program history. JMU finished the season with a 21-11 overall record, the third consecutive season the Dukes have won at least 17 games.Â
Lima comes to JMU after serving as a head coach for the Landsharks club volleyball team in Lawrence, Kan. and has extensive experience as a professional player and coach in his home country of Brazil. Before moving to the United States to expand his coaching career, Lima as a strength and condition coach at Biodelta Institute in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The Brazilian native began his coaching career as an assistant for the Sao Paulo state team from 2004 before serving as a supervisor and head coach at the Athletic Club Cooper Cotia in 2006, a position he held until 2013. Lima also worked with the Esporte Clube Pinheiros, serving as the volleyball coordinator from 2008 until 2011 before taking over as head coach until 2015.
Receiving his Level II and Level III coach certificate from the Brazilian Volleyball Confederation in 2010 and 2011, respectively, Lima served as the head coach at the University Santanna in Sao Paulo over that period.
During his coaching tenure in Brazil, Lima has coached three U17 men’s club team championship squads (2011, 2012, 2013) and led the U19 men’s team to the 2014 championship. Lima also guided the U12 and U14 women’s teams to second-place finishes in 2011 and 2013, respectively.
Lima received his bachelor’s degree in sports science with an emphasis in physical education in 2010 from the Universidade Unisant’anna in Sao Paulo while earning a master’s degree in sports science in 2014 from UNIP in Sao Paulo. Lima also played professionally in Brazil over four years (2001-2004).
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