All-Americans Lead Next Chapter Forward

All-Americans Lead Next Chapter Forward

Junior outside hitter Lauren Gott (left) and junior middle blocker Zacky Coaston earned AVCA All-American honors in 2025 after helping guide ULV volleyball to a national championship game and into a new era of expectations. (ULV Photo/Claudia Gonzalez)

Lauren Gott and Zacky Coaston are the rising leaders setting the standard of volleyball excellence

After leading the Leopards to a national championship match and earning AVCA All-America honors, Lauren Gott and Zacky Coaston now carry a new responsibility: passing that experience forward as ULV volleyball enters a new season with new players.

For both juniors, the 2025 NCAA Division III national finals, where ULV fell in three sets to Wisconsin-Oshkosh, remains a defining moment that shapes how they understand what is required to compete at that level.

"Honestly, it was electrifying," Gott said, describing the intensity, pressure and energy of reaching that moment. Coaston pointed to the foundation behind it. "It was all preparation and building trust with each other over months of hard work and training," she said.

Now, as leaders, that experience has become the standard they reinforce to the team daily. "We know what it takes to get there," Gott said. "Now it's about doing it again."

Gott and Coaston are setting the tone early through performance and presence. Maintaining the team's standard and identity means ensuring new players understand what it took to reach the national stage and what it will take to stay there.

Gott leads with consistency. "I try to lead by example," she said. "Showing up, doing the work and staying steady." Coaston complements that with a more vocal approach. "Energy and accountability," she said. "That's what keeps everyone locked in."

Together, they help define a culture built as much on competition as connection. Trust and relationships are formed through early-season lifting sessions, shared time in the weight room, and team retreats where players spend time together away from volleyball.

"It's a family," Gott said. "Everyone plays an important role, and we support each other on and off the court." Both say their volleyball experience at ULV has shaped them in meaningful ways. "It opened my perspective," Coaston said. "You meet so many different people and learn from all of them."

"You don't get this time back," Gott said. "Being able to play here with this team is something very special that I would not have gotten somewhere else."

Gott, Coaston and the volleyball team will be honored at the 2026 ULV Scholarship Gala, an event that highlights student success and raises support for future Leopards.

For both players, who have also benefited from academic scholarships, it is another reminder that the program represents something bigger than the game and something worth continuing to build for those who come next.

For sponsorship opportunities, tickets, and additional details about the 2026 Scholarship Gala, visit laverne.edu/gala.