Stanislaus State Athletics

Lauren Flowers, a nationally recognized coaching veteran at the NCAA Division II level and Northern California native, is in her fourth year as the head coach of the Stan State Warrior volleyball team.

In her first season as the Warriors' head coach in 2022, she led the team to the winningest season in school history with a 19-10 (.655) overall record. The 19 wins tied for the most in program history. The Warriors finished sixth in the CCAA with a 10-8 conference record and advanced to the CCAA Volleyball Championship Tournament.

In her third season, Flowers made history in several ways, beginning with a 9-1 start—the best in the NCAA Division II era for the program. The Warriors went on to capture the CCAA Tournament Championship for the first time in program history and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time.

Stan State followed its historic 2024 championship season with another strong campaign in 2025, finishing 13-13 overall and 11-7 in CCAA play. The conference mark tied for the second-highest winning percentage in program history and placed the Warriors fourth in the regular-season standings.

The Warriors earned the No. 4 seed in the CCAA Tournament and hosted postseason matches at Fitzpatrick Arena, marking back-to-back postseason appearances and the program’s third CCAA Tournament berth in the last four seasons. Stan State ranked 21st nationally in blocks per set and closed the regular season with momentum following reverse-sweep road victories over Cal State LA and nationally ranked Cal Poly Pomona.

Christallynn Tate earned All-CCAA First Team honors, while Isabella Saucedo was named to the Second Team. Leah Mendoza, Shaelyn Pruiett, and Malia Tanksley received Honorable Mention recognition, with Pruiett also earning CCAA All-Tournament Team honors. Victoria Plumb and Emily Meyer were named CSC Academic All-District selections.

Flowers has coached 12 All-CCAA honorees during her tenure at Stan State, including multiple major award winners and All-Americans.

• 2025: 5 honorees — Christallynn Tate (First Team), Isabella Saucedo (Second Team), Leah Mendoza, Shaelyn Pruiett, and Malia Tanksley (Honorable Mention)
• 2024: 6 honorees — highlighted by Gabby Rawson (Libero of the Year, AVCA Third Team All-American) and Malia Tanksley (CCAA Freshman of the Year)
• 2023: 2 honorees — Gabby Rawson and Alex Byrd (Honorable Mention)
• 2022: 3 honorees — Gabby Rawson (First Team), Macky Morris (Second Team), Alex Byrd (Honorable Mention)

Ellison Weaver was named the 2024 CCAA Tournament MVP and earned AVCA National Player of the Week honors for her performance, marking the first time a Warrior received that distinction.

Her team has been named an AVCA All-Academic Team for three consecutive years, including 2024. During her tenure, Stan State has also excelled in the classroom, with multiple Warriors earning CSC Academic All-District honors. At the 2024 CCAA Tournament, Haley Burdo received the Elite 13 Award for the highest GPA among participating student-athletes.

Flowers, who hails from Santa Clara in the Bay Area, came to Turlock with nearly 10 years of NCAA Division II coaching experience, most recently serving as an assistant at Texas A&M University-Commerce from 2019-21. She also coached at the University of Texas Permian Basin from 2017-19 and earned her master's in educational leadership while serving as an assistant coach at Western New Mexico from 2015-17.

The Lions were highly successful during her tenure, compiling a 45-23 overall record and earning national and regional rankings in multiple seasons. Players earned All-America honors four times and collected 15 All-Lone Star Conference awards, including Setter of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

Flowers was named to the AVCA “30 Under 30” award program in 2021, recognizing top up-and-coming coaches across all levels of volleyball. She also spoke at the 2021 AVCA National Convention as the only Division II coach on the panel “Moms Who Coach: A Scouting Report to Doing It All (or Almost).”

A former student-athlete at Azusa Pacific, Flowers competed during the program’s transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II.

Flowers graduated from Azusa Pacific in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in liberal arts and earned her master's in educational leadership from Western New Mexico