LMU’s John Mayer Named AVCA Coach Of The Year

SAN BRUNO, Calif. – After winning his sixth straight West Coast Conference Coach of the Year award on Wednesday, LMU Beach Volleyball head coach John Mayer was named the 2025 AVCA Coach of the Year, as announced by the organization on Thursday morning. In addition, LMU’s Chloe Hooker and Michelle Shaffer were named AVCA Second-Team All-Americans. 

Mayer led the Lions back into the NCAA Championship as a No. 4 seed after winning a sixth straight West Coast Conference Championship last week. LMU concluded the regular season with a record of 35-6, Mayer’s Lions enter the NCAA Tournament riding a seven-match winning streak. LMU boasts multiple wins over the top-ranked teams in the country according to the AVCA national polls in No. 1 TCU and No. 3 UCLA. Mayer becomes the second West Coast Conference head coach to win AVCA Coach of the Year (Nina Matthies, Pepperdine in 2013).

Hooker was announced yesterday as the West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, as well as an All-WCC First-Team selection. Compiling a record of 28-10 on the courts this season, Hooker primarily teamed with Vilhelmiina Prihti on either the No. 1 or No. 2 court. She and Prihti garnered a win on April 11 over No. 1 TCU. Hooker often played on LMU’s second court also with Jaeya Brach and Anna Pelloia. Hooker and Pelloia boasted Conference Pair of the Week accolades once in 2025. Hooker becomes the fifth straight Lion to claim this award. 

Shaffer, who earned All-WCC First-Team honors, compiled a record of 20-16 in 2025, playing primarily on the No. 1 court with Vilhelmiina Prihti. The tandem went 13-12 on the top court. More recently, Shaffer has been teaming with either Anna Pelloia or Jaeya Brach on the No. 1 court, winning five of her last six matches heading into the NCAA Tournament. Shaffer had previously been named the West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year and part of the Conference Pair of the Year in 2024.