POCATELLO, Idaho -- Idaho State volleyball has found its new assistant coach, Beau Lawler, as announced by Head Coach Rick Reynolds. Lawler will be instrumental in the scouting process while assisting with recruiting and administrative duties.
"I am very excited about this opportunity," Lawler said. "I've gotten to know Rick a little bit the last three years playing against him in 2015 and 2016. What he wants me to do with the team and contribute as far as scouting and my role in the coaching staff is something I was really excited about. My primary role will be scouting and helping convey the plan of attack against our opponents."
Lawler will join Idaho State Aug. 6 after a three-year stint with the University of Utah where he served as the director of operations. He was crucial in taking the program from a 10th-place Pac-12 finish in 2015 to an NCAA Sweet 16 run in 2017. He was also the stats and video coordinator for the Utes, managing film and scout files for all 120 Pac-12 matches and utilizing Data Volley to analyze player performance.
"I spent the last three seasons learning from one of the best coaches in the game, Beth Launiere," Lawler said. "Being a part of her program and her staff was an incredible experience. We went from a 4-16 conference record in 2015 to a Sweet 16 appearance in 2017. I'm excited to bring that knowledge and experience to Idaho State. I'm thrilled to work with Rick and see what I can do to help this talented roster compete for a Big Sky Championship."
Social media, budget oversight, travel, team communication, marketing, recruiting and practice planning were additional roles that fell under Lawler's umbrella at Utah. He was an integral member of committees dedicated to building a $500,000 locker room and hosting the sub-regional round of the NCAA Championship in 2017.
Lawler's expertise in statistical analysis is clear from his work with the USA Volleyball Women's National Team where he assisted in analysis for the team's open tryouts from 2016-18. Additionally, he has coached at Club V Volleyball in Salt Lake since 2016 and was named chief operating officer in March. Daily operations and development training were overseen by Lawler. He served as head and assistant coach for many of the club teams which collectively sent 14 players to college programs and had seven teams qualify for the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championships in 2018.
"He's got high level experience scouting and administrating for volleyball programs," Reynolds said. "His experience at Utah and his familiarity of the area along with his reputation for being a good scouter all factor into this decision. It meant a lot to our team and me to be able to grab someone of his quality in July and add them to our program."
Before coaching, Lawler worked as an operations manager for Apple (2014-15) and Nike (2011-14). He accumulated a wealth of experience with content creation and efficiency analysis before taking his talents to the courts.
Lawler completed his general studies at Palomar College while playing soccer for two years. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and statistics from the University of Utah in 2018.
"As I mentioned I've gotten to know Rick and I'm in line with a lot of his coaching philosophies," Lawler said. "I know what he has got going on here and it's a strong program with a lot of great athletes so I'm tremendously excited he wanted me to come here and be a part of it."
