While we were all off enjoying our summer vacations, traveling or celebrating our exciting, yet brief, period of recuperation, Director of Athletics Michael Matoso was hard at work filling the spaces left behind by the recent departures of some key coaching positions at Stanislaus.
After a trying 2014 season, Christina Lore, who had coached for the Warriors since 2005, stepped down from her position as head volleyball coach. An equally devastating coaching vacancy that opened up this off season was that of the men’s golf team, as the former head coach of the team, John Cook, moved on to become the head golf coach at University of the Pacific in Stockton.
With the departure of these two successful coaches, Matoso wasted little time in realizing the necessity to fill the void left behind. With that in mind, let’s roll out the proverbial red carpet and introduce the future of Warrior golf and volleyball.
Mallori Gibson-Rossi, a Bakersfield native and most recently an assistant coach at Fresno State, is looking to bring the Warrior volleyball team back into contention and back to the top of the CCAA.
Gibson-Rossi is taking over a Warrior team that struggled last season, ending the season tied for last in the CCAA. To some, that might sound daunting, but to Gibson, it’s what motivates her as she works with this year’s team.
“I’m really excited for this fall, and I think we have the ability to really do something special with this upcoming season,” Gibson-Rossi said.
Recently, the Warriors played a tournament at Sacramento State, where they faced numerous tough opponents from Division I and II including the reigning CCAA Champion, the Sonoma State Seawolves. The Warriors were able to come away victorious against the Seawolves, a moment which Gibson-Rossi said, “was a huge confidence booster for the team being able to beat.  I think they’re going to have that memory with them when they step into the gym.” 
Gibson-Rossi started her collegiate volleyball career at the University of Colorado, where she quickly became one of the best at her craft. She then transferred to University of the Pacific, where she would become a two-time, first-team All-Big West Conference outside hitter. Not only that, she would also go on to meet her husband at Pacific.
“When we first started talking about the move, I was telling him how perfect itwould be if the Stanislaus job opened up,” Gibson-Rossi said. “Then about three weeks later, Mike (Matoso) emailed me, so I just got the feeling like it was meant to be.”
Brandon Christianson was named the newest head coach of the men’s golf team following the departure of former coach John Cook. Christianson, a four-year member of the UCLA Bruins golf team and 2009 graduate, will be asked to pick up where Cook left off, as the Warriors are coming off their second consecutive CCAA championship.
“There are very few schools that have as rich a history for golf as Stanislaus,” Christianson said. “The legacy here is unlike any other school. Coming in at the time I am, where they’re coming off winning conference the past two years, the program is in great shape.”
Originally from Valencia, California, Christianson stayed relatively close to home when he attended UCLA in Southern California. As a Bruin, he was a part of the 2008 NCAA Championship team, and would later move on to become a full-time assistant coach under Derek Freeman since 2012.
“Becoming a head coach has always been a goal of mine since starting my coaching career,” Christianson said. “Having grown up here. I was definitely prioritizing head coaching jobs in California, and when this job became available I had sought after it.”
A string of recent successful years for the Warriors have given Christianson all the pieces he needs to continue building onto what is an already strong legacy of golf at Stan State.