TURLOCK, Calif.---- After recording one of the best seasons in program history in 2022, the Stan State Warriors are ready to begin the 2023 Volleyball Season over Labor Day Weekend.  The Warriors, under the guidance of second-year head coach Lauren Flowers, will host the five-team Stan State Labor Day Volleyball Tournament.  The five teams participating in the tournament with the Warriors will be Chico State, Academy of Art, Fresno Pacific, Western Oregon, and Western New Mexico. 
 
2022:  The Warrior volleyball team became Stan State's all-time winningest team with its .655 winning percentage. The Warriors finished with a 19-10 overall record with the 19 wins tying for the most in school history.  They finished in sixth place and qualified for the CCAA Volleyball Championships.  Stan State lost to eventual CCAA Champion, Cal Poly Pomona, in the quarterfinals. Autumn Kirby was named to the CCAA Championship All-Tournament team.

POST SEASON HONORS:  Three Warriors named to the All-CCAA in Gabby Rawson, Macky Morris and Alex Byrd.  Rawson was the CCAA Libero of the Year and a First Team All-CCAA selection.  Morris was a Second Team honoree and Byrd a Honorable Mention selection.  Rawson was named to the D2CCA All-West Region Second Team. 
 
EIGHT RETURNERS: Coach Flowers return nine players from last year's team including CCAA Libero of the Year and First Team All-CCAA honoree Gabby Rawson.  She recorded 4.93 digs per set last season and had 31 service aces.  Byrd returns after recording 114 total blocks last season in 29 matches.  Autumn Kirby is back after being named to the CCAA Championships All-Tournament Team.  Kirby posted a .270 hitting percentages to go with her 36 service aces and 79 total blocks.  Stan State also welcomes back Mariah Iosua, Haley Burdo, Eyriana Eatmon, Makenna Carrillo, Irene London, and Ellison Weaver.  These eight will join newcomers Aubrey Miller, Isabella Saucedo, Rein Bocage, Kryslin James, Kendall Hughes, and Emily Vander Welde on this year's team.
 
ACADEMIC HONORS:  As announced earlier this Summer by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), Stan State's Volleyball Team was named one of the 1,332 intercollegiate and interscholastic volleyball teams to be the recipients of the 2023 United States Marine Corps (USMC)/AVCA Team Academic Award.  The award, initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors volleyball teams that maintain a year-long grade-point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale.
 
PRESEASON POLL:  Stan State is picked to finish seventh in the conference by the twelve head coaches of the CCAA. Cal State Los Angeles is picked to win the conference followed by Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State San Bernardino, Sonoma State, Cal State East Bay, and San Francisco State.  Rounding out the pack are Stan State, Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State San Marcos, Cal Poly Humboldt, Cal State Dominguez Hills, and Chico State.  The six teams at the end of the regular season will receive a bid for the 2023 CCAA Volleyball Championships in November that will be hosted by Cal State Los Angeles.  The winner of the CCAA Volleyball Championships will receive the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Division II post-season.
 
ACADEMY OF ART:  The Urban Knights went 6-23 last season including 5-15 in the PacWest. They return Amalie Rupertova, Elly McInerney, Nina Garcia, Maya McClellan, and Kaia Fittz.  Rupertova had a team leading 341 kills followed by McClellan with 290.  Garcia had a team high 35 service aces with McInerney recording 688 assists.  The Warriors lead the all-time series with Academy of Art 3-0 including winning last year's meeting in three (25-11, 25-18, 25-20) in Turlock.
 
CHICO STATE:  The Wildcats went 3-22 last season including 1-17 in the CCAA.  They return ten players from last year's team including Zoe DiNardo who had a team high 227 kills to go with her 34 total blocks and 80 digs.  Grace Shepherd recording 185 kills and Brook Ono led the team with her 623 digs.  Stan State will not face the Wildcats in the tournament but will face them October 11 and 13 in a home-away series. 
 
FRESNO PACIFIC:  The Sunbirds finished the 2022 campaign with a 16-9 record while going 15-5 in the PacWest.  They return Makena Ogas who recorded 246 kills for a .122 hitting percentage.  Catie Speas had a team leading 36 service aces and Cambria Waites led the Sunbirds with 70 blocks and Corinne Acosta had a team leading 321 digs.  Fresno Pacific leads the all-time series 5-1 with the Warriors winning the last meeting in five (21-25, 14-25, 26-24, 25-22, 15-11) in Fresno Pacific in 2021.
 
WESTERN NEW MEXICO:  The Mustangs went 3-25 last season including 1-15 in the Lone Star Conference.  They return three players from last year's team led by Jazmyne Walker's 310 kills for a .145 hitting percentage.  Walker also had 26 service aces and 259 digs.  This is the first ever meeting between the two teams.
 
WESTERN OREGON:  The Wolves went 9-17 overall and 5-13 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC).  Western Oregon returns nine players from last year's team including Bailee Hartsook and Madison Hornback.  Hartsook had 243 kills for a 193 hitting percentage and Hornback had 242 kills for a .143 hitting percentage.  Landy O'Neil led the Wolves with her 456 assists while Hornback with 36 service aces.  The Warriors lead the all-time series with Western Oregon 3-2 including winning last season 3-0 (26-24, 25-20, 25-18) in Honolulu.
 
TOURNAMENT WEBSITE:  For the complete tournament schedule with links to video and live stats, go to https://warriorathletics.com/sports/2023/5/29/warrior-classic.aspx.  For the video, all matches will be on the CCAA Network.  The CCAA network has a monthly subscription rate of $9.95, which can watch any CCAA sport that is hosted at any CCAA institution during that 30-day period. The two exhibition matches will have not live stream or live stats.
 
UP NEXT:  After Labor Day Weekend, Stan State will be at the Denali State Bank Ice Block Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska.  The Warriors will face Lander, Biola, Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Fairbanks.