NASHVILLE – Announced by head coach
Brandon Rosenthal, former All-American Lauren Deaton has joined the Lipscomb University volleyball coaching staff as an assistant coach.
"We are very excited about the addition of Lauren Deaton to the LUV staff. It became abundantly clear why Lauren is such a fantastic up and coming coach. Throughout the many conversations that I had amongst our coaching network, there were nothing but glowing reports and stories regarding their time working with Lauren. I am absolutely thrilled with the addition of Lauren and very thankful to all that made this hiring process so enjoyable," said Rosenthal.
Deaton joins the volleyball program after spending the 2024 season as assistant coach at ASUN foe North Alabama, where the Lions qualified for the ASUN Championship. She was a part of four All-ASUN honors, including the Freshman of the Year in Reese Ricketts.
She also served as assistant coach for the UNA beach volleyball program when she arrived in Florence. The Lions advanced to semifinals with a 22-13 overall record.
Along with her time on the court, she served as facilitator for UNA's summer camps.
Prior to her time at UNA, she served as a graduate assistant at Houston, where she handled team travel. The 2023 Cougars played to a 19-win season that year and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship.
"Lauren is a tremendous coach and wonderful mentor to many and I am excited to see the immediate impact she has on Lipscomb Volleyball. Her sense of self and easy disposition will fit in well with our staff," said Rosenthal.
Playing at Samford for five seasons, she finished as the all-time leader in kills (1,836) and attacks (5,551) and fourth in digs (1,574).
Deaton, a five-year letterwinner for Samford from 2018-22, is the Bulldogs program leader in career kills (1,836) and career attacks (5,551) and ranks fourth in program history in career digs (1,574).
Winning 88 matches during her career as a Bulldog, she was a part of four Southern Conference Tournament Championships and also four appearances in the NCAA Championship.
Named the Freshman of the Year in the league during the 2018 campaign, she was a five-time All-SoCon selection, including two First Teams in 2019 and 2020-21. During the spring 2020-21 season, she was named the SoCon Player of the Year and an Honorable Mention All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
"She was an outstanding student-athlete at Samford and I have no doubt that we will all get to see that competitiveness on the sideline this season at Lipscomb," said Rosenthal.
A native of Memphis and a graduate of Harding Academy, she graduated cum laude from Samford with a Bachelor of Science in sports administration with a communications minor in 2022. She earned her Master of Business Administration from Samford in 2024.
