Christina (Difani) Lore, a former Hilmar High School graduate and former Sonoma State standout, took over the volleyball program in June of 2005.
Prior to joining the Warriors, she was an assistant coach at Sonoma State since 1999 after spending four years as a starter on the Seawolves volleyball team.
During her four seasons as an assistant at Sonoma State, Difani helped guide the Seawolves to four consecutive winning seasons, including a 22-win season in 2001. The Seawolves have also excelled in the classroom, continually recording one of the top cumulative grade point averages in the athletics department and the best team GPA in the first half of the 2004-05 academic year.
While assisting with the Seawolves volleyball team, Difani started a men’s club volleyball team and served as the head coach. In her five years with the team she built the program up to No. 9 in the nation in 2004, and with all new players this season, took 15th.
As a player, Difani set three school records in total attempts and total kills per game. Her total attempts record stood until Sonoma State’s first-team All-CCAA honoree Christine Shiba broke the mark in 2001.
Difani helped guide Sonoma State to first place finishes in the Northern California Athletic Conference in both 1995 and 1997 prior to the conference’s merger with the CCAA in 1998. She was named the NCAC’s “Most Valuable Player,” once named the American Volleyball Coaches Association National Player of the Week and earned AVCA All- Southwest Region honors in 1997. Difani was inducted into the Sonoma State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.
Prior to attending Sonoma State, Difani played volleyball at Hilmar High School. She graduated from Hilmar in 1995.
Her parents, Larry and Donna Difani, were local farmers and her father was also a partner in Pinnacle Development for 10 years before retiring four years ago and relocating to Kooskia, Idaho. Her sister and brother-in-law live in the Sacramento area.
Lore, formerly Difani, married Jason Lore of Modesto, on June 14, 2008 and the couple resides in Turlock. They have a son, Harrison, born March, 2010.
