Garrett Muagututia

Garrett Muagututia was born on February 26, 1988, in Oceanside, California. His family has a strong athletic background; his father, Faauuga Muagututia, was a Navy SEAL and competed in bobsledding for American Samoa at the 1994 Winter Olympics, while his mother, Kathleen, played volleyball at UC Riverside. Garrett followed this athletic path, attending Francis Parker School where he excelled in both basketball and volleyball, leading his high school to a CIF Championship in volleyball. He then played collegiate volleyball at UCLA from 2006 to 2010.

During his time at UCLA, Muagututia achieved significant recognition, earning Second Team All-American honors twice. He consistently performed at a high level, leading his team in kills and points during key seasons. In 2007, he played in all 30 matches, starting 28, and recorded 12 double-digit kill matches. By 2008, he led the team in kills (473) and points (547.0), setting a new single-season rally scoring UCLA record for kills and establishing a career-high of 31 kills against CSN. His collegiate career concluded with 1,473 kills, 99 aces, and 741 digs, placing him among UCLA’s all-time leaders in various categories.

Muagututia’s professional career began shortly after college, joining the U.S. Men’s National Team in 2011. Since then, he has competed internationally across several countries including Spain, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Poland, China, Portugal, Greece, Egypt, and Indonesia. His career highlights include winning the Portuguese Championship with Sporting CP in 2018 and the Greek Cup with PAOK Thessaloniki in 2019, where he was also named MVP. He has been a consistent member of U.S. national teams, participating in two Olympic Games (2021, 2024), earning a bronze medal in 2024, and securing multiple medals in events like the FIVB World Cup, FIVB Nations League, FIVB World League, Pan American Cup, and NORCECA Continental Championship.