This Week in Warrior Sports
August 31-September 6, 2026

Stan State Athletics begins a busy September with five Warrior programs in action this week. Men's soccer opens its home schedule with a pair of matches, hosting Saint Martin's on Thursday at 7 p.m. before welcoming Simon Fraser on Saturday at 11 a.m. Women's soccer heads south to face Point Loma on Thursday at 3:45 p.m. before returning home to host Dominican on Sunday at 6 p.m., with both opponents receiving votes nationally. Volleyball continues its season with four matches in Denton, Texas, beginning Friday against Westminster at 9 a.m. and Southern Arkansas at 4 p.m., followed by Saturday contests against Southern Nazarene at 11:30 a.m. and host Texas Woman's at 2:30 p.m. The Stan State men's and women's cross country teams begin their seasons Friday at the USF Invite, with the men racing at 2:30 p.m. and the women at 3:30 p.m.

Warriors Moving Up the Record Books
Several Warriors added their names to the Stan State record books during the opening weekend of the 2026 season. Women's soccer standout Aliah Avila scored her 18th career goal and 12th career game-winner in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Central Washington. Avila is now tied for fifth in program history with 18 career goals, tied for second with 12 game-winning goals and tied for sixth with 54 career points. Goalkeeper Zara Mujica recorded the eighth shutout of her career and moved into eighth in program history in career shutouts while ranking 10th with 76 career saves.

In volleyball, head coach Lauren Flowers earned her 65th career victory at Stan State and is now 65-50 (.565) in her fifth season leading the Warriors. Her 65 victories tie Mallori Gibson-Rossi for third on Stan State's all-time coaching wins list, while Flowers' .565 winning percentage is currently the highest in program history.

Volleyball Heads to Texas for Four Matches
Stan State opened the 2026 season with a 2-1 record, defeating Western Oregon 3-1 on Thursday and closing the weekend with a 3-0 sweep of Jessup on Saturday, with a 3-1 loss to Hawai'i Hilo on Friday. Lauren Gonzales leads the Warriors with 24 kills and has added 31 digs, while Emily Meyer has 22 kills and Lauren Hamilton has 21 kills while hitting a team-best .465. Reagan Wilkerson has recorded 59 assists, Ireland Avalos has added 46 assists, and Leah Mendoza leads the Warriors with 35 digs. Sydney Hoffman has a team-high nine blocks as Stan State has out-blocked its opponents 21-17 through its first three matches.

The Warriors head to Denton, Texas, for four matches at Kitty Magee Arena this Friday and Saturday. Stan State faces Westminster on Friday, Sept. 4, at 9 a.m. and Southern Arkansas at 4 p.m. The Warriors conclude the trip Saturday, Sept. 5, against Southern Nazarene at 11:30 a.m. before facing host Texas Woman's at 2:30 p.m. All four matches will be streamed on FloCollege.

Women's Soccer Faces Pair of Nationally Recognized Opponents
Receiving votes in the preseason national poll, Stan State went 1-1 during its opening weekend, falling 2-1 to CUI on Thursday before defeating Central Washington 2-0 on Saturday. Olivia Maragos, Aliah Avila and Kyndra Obermeyer each scored during the opening weekend, while Maragos, Mandy Thao, Loreno Moreno and Hibah Elbeshity each recorded an assist. Zara Mujica recorded eight saves in the two matches, including a shutout against Central Washington.

The Warriors face two more teams receiving votes in the national poll this week. Stan State travels to (RV) Point Loma on Thursday, Sept. 3, for a 3:45 p.m. match before returning to Turlock for its 2026 home opener against (RV) Dominican on Sunday, Sept. 6, at 6 p.m.

No. 5 Men's Soccer Set for Home Openers Against Saint Martin's and Simon Fraser
Nationally ranked Stan State went 0-2 on its season-opening trip to Washington, falling 3-1 at No. 25 Seattle Pacific on Thursday before dropping a 2-1 decision at Western Washington on Saturday. Adrian Yepez and Alexis Cervantes each scored a goal during the opening weekend, while Kenneth Solares and Cameron Belandres recorded assists. The Warriors finished the two matches with 23 shots, including seven on goal, while Dylan Isasi recorded nine saves in goal.

The Warriors return to Turlock for their first two home matches of the season this week. Stan State will host Saint Martin's in its 2026 home opener on Thursday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m. before hosting Simon Fraser on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 11 a.m.

Cross Country Opens 2026 Season at USF Invite
Stan State men's and women's cross country begins the 2026 season Friday, Sept. 4, at the USF Invite at Hellman Hollow in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. The men's 8K begins at 2:30 p.m., followed by the women's 6K at 3:30 p.m. The Warriors will compete in a field that includes host San Francisco along with Cal State East Bay, Dominican, California, Stanford, California Baptist, Sacramento State, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, San Jose State, Pacific and Santa Clara.

The Stan State women, picked to finish second in the CCAA preseason rankings, are coming off a 2025 season in which they finished second at the CCAA Championships, fifth at the NCAA Division II West Regional and 12th at the NCAA Division II National Championships. All-American Annie Wild returns after placing 24th at the national championships, while fellow All-CCAA First Team selections Nina Furtado and Izzy Soto also return. The Warrior men were picked to finish fourth in the CCAA preseason rankings after placing fourth at the 2025 CCAA Championships. Stan State returns All-CCAA First Team runner Mason Oliveira along with a veteran group for the 2026 season.

Following the USF Invite, the Warriors will host the annual Kim Duyst Twilight on Saturday, Sept. 12, at River Oaks Golf Course in Ceres.

Duyst, Reynolds Selected for CCAA Hall of Fame
Two legendary figures in Stan State Athletics history, former cross country and track & field coach and administrator Kim Duyst and former men's basketball head coach Larry Reynolds, have been selected for induction into the CCAA Hall of Fame as members of the Class of 2026. Duyst dedicated 32 years to Stan State, including 21 seasons as head coach, guiding more than 60 All-Americans and nine individual NCAA national champions before concluding her career as Senior Associate Athletic Director. Reynolds served as the Warriors' head coach from 2009-18, earning 121 victories and leading Stan State to the 2013-14 CCAA Tournament championship, an NCAA Tournament berth and a school-record 23 victories.

Duyst and Reynolds combined for more than five decades of service to Stan State, and each left a lasting impact on the CCAA. Duyst is a member of both the Stan State Athletics and USTFCCCA Coaches halls of fame, while Reynolds was a four-time CCAA Coach of the Year during a career that also included successful tenures at Cal State San Bernardino and Long Beach State. The 2026 CCAA Hall of Fame class will be honored during the 2027 CCAA Men's & Women's Basketball Tournament on Saturday, March 6, at Cal State San Bernardino.

62 Warriors Earn D2 ADA Academic Achievement Awards
Stan State continued its strong tradition of academic success with 62 student-athletes earning 2025-26 Division II Athletics Directors Association Academic Achievement Awards. The awards recognize NCAA Division II student-athletes who maintain at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA, have completed a minimum of two years of college-level coursework and were active members of an intercollegiate athletics team during the academic year. More than 21,000 student-athletes from 179 institutions nationwide were recognized.

The D2 ADA recognition adds to an impressive year in the classroom for the Warriors, which included numerous national team and individual academic honors. Men's and women's soccer, volleyball, baseball, men's basketball, men's golf, men's and women's cross country, women's track & field and women's tennis all received national academic team recognition during the 2025-26 academic year. All eight members of the women's tennis program who earned ITA Scholar-Athlete honors also were named to the Academic All-PacWest Conference Team. Additionally, 28 Warriors were inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society and 47 were named to the CCAA Winter/Spring Academic Honor Roll.

Fall Season Tickets Available for Warrior Athletics
Season tickets for the 2026 fall season are available for Warrior Athletics home events. Family passes are $120 and include admission for two adults and up to four children, while individual season tickets are $60. Single-game tickets are $12 for adults and $7 for children ages 5-17 and seniors ages 55 and older. Stan State Athletics will be cashless for all ticket purchases during the 2026-27 academic year. Fans can purchase season and single-game tickets online at https://warriorathletics.com/sports/2021/9/7/ticketing.aspx.

Watch Warrior Athletics on FloCollege
Warrior fans can follow Stan State on FloCollege throughout the season when the Warriors compete at CCAA venues. Stan State volleyball's four matches in Denton, Texas, this Friday and Saturday will also be streamed live on FloCollege. A FloCollege subscription provides access to more than 12,000 events throughout the season and can be streamed through the FloSports app on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and mobile devices. Visit FloCollege.com to subscribe and follow the Warriors throughout the season.

Upcoming Week in Warrior Sports
Thurs., Sept. 3
Women's Soccer – at (RV) Point Loma (3:45 p.m.)
Men's Soccer – vs. Saint Martin's (7 p.m.)

Fri., Sept. 4
Volleyball – vs. Westminster (9 a.m., Denton, Texas)
Men's Cross Country – at USF Invite (2:30 p.m.)
Women's Cross Country – at USF Invite (3:30 p.m.)
Volleyball – vs. Southern Arkansas (4 p.m., Denton, Texas)

Sat., Sept. 5
Men's Soccer – vs. Simon Fraser (11 a.m.)
Volleyball – vs. Southern Nazarene (11:30 a.m., Denton, Texas)
Volleyball – at Texas Woman's (2:30 p.m.)

Sun., Sept. 6
Women's Soccer – vs. (RV) Dominican (6 p.m.)