Wayland Baptist University Women's Basketball

Wayland Baptist University Athletics has named Jordan Vessels as the 15th head women's basketball coach in Flying Queens history. "I am beyond honored and incredibly humbled to be named the Head Women's Basketball Coach at Wayland Baptist University. This is a dream I have worked towards for years, and to have my first head coaching opportunity come from a program as legendary as the Flying Queens – means everything to me," said Vessels. She continued, "I feel a deep sense of responsibility and pride to lead a team with such a rich history of excellence, toughness, and tradition. I'm filled with gratitude, excitement, and a fire to give my absolute best every single day." Vessels is mighty familiar with West Texas – being born and raised in Canyon, Texas then attending West Texas A&M University. She played all four of her collegiate seasons at West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas – playing in 126 career game, tied for 9th most in program history. Vessels has served as an Assistant Coach and the Director of Operations for the Texas Tech Lady Raider basketball program for the past six years. Prior to joining the Lady Raider staff, Vessels had previous coaching stops at West Texas A&M (graduate assistant) and UT-Arlington (two seasons as director of operations and two seasons as assistant coach).   During her first four years at Texas Tech, Vessels was tasked with managing the program's budget and coordinating travel operations. She was then promoted to assistant coach before the start of the 2023-24 season where she assumed a key player development role. Vessels has a vision for how she wants to build the Flying Queen program – through faith and establishing a winning culture.   "My vision for the Flying Queens is to build a winning culture led by servant leaders – women who compete with passion, lead with humility, and serve others with purpose. I'm a believer with strong personal faith, guided by a deep moral compass and a commitment to uplifting those around me," Vessels expressed.   "Through trust, accountability, and a shared commitment to something bigger than ourselves, I believe we can build a program that wins on and off the court – and honors the legacy of the Flying Queens."

On April 4th, 2025, Wayland Baptist Athletics announced the hiring of Lucie Mahelova as the 7th Head Coach in Pioneer Volleyball program history.   A native of Znojmo, Czech Republic, Mahelova is also the head coach of the inaugural Wayland Baptist Beach Volleyball team.   "I am very excited to lead these two programs. We are looking forward to having successful seasons ahead, and I appreciate everything the athletic department has done to help make this happen," Mahelova expressed when talking about her excitement to be the next head coach.   Mahelova played volleyball for the Pioneers from 2019-2021 after spending two seasons at Laredo College. In her first two collegiate seasons at Laredo, Mahelova earned First Team All-Conference before transferring to Wayland Baptist in the Spring of 2019.   In her three seasons as a Pioneer, Mahelova received numerous awards such as 2021 NAIA All-American Honorable Mention, 2021 SAC Setter of the Year, 2021 First Team All-SAC, 2021 AVCA Regional Setter of the Year, 2021, CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-American, 2020 Second Team All-SAC, and a two-time NAIA Scholar Athlete recipient.   Mahelova graduated from Wayland Baptist in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. She then pursued her master's from Wayland Baptist with a degree in business management, which she officially completed in December of 2024.   Once Mahelova's playing career was over, she immediately embarked on her coaching career as she was named a Graduate Assistant for Pioneers, where she has served for the past two years.   "I was able to help build the program over the past two years as a graduate assistant, and Coach Giacomazzi and I worked hard on recruiting the returners and incoming players," stated Mahelova.   Wayland Baptist Director of Athletics Jim Giacomazzi had high praise of Mahelova:   "We are thrilled to announce that Lucie Mahelova has been named the Head Coach of Volleyball operations, overseeing both our Indoor and Outdoor Volleyball programs.   Lucie has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership both on and off the court. As a player, she was a standout competitor who understood the dedication and effort required to succeed both athletically and academically. Over the past few years, she has continued to impress in her role as a graduate assistant, proving herself as a strong recruiter and a detail-oriented coach.   Her commitment to excellence, ability to develop players, and passion for the game make her the perfect fit to lead our programs into the future."   Originally from the Czech Republic, Mahelova's entire family currently resides there, including her three sisters and one brother.   "My heart belongs to Wayland Baptist volleyball and beach volleyball, and I will do everything in my power to create an environment where we help our players be successful not only on the court and in the classrooms, but in their lives after college," said Mahelova.

Former WBU cheerleader Kira Weatherton was named coach prior to the 2023-24 academic year.  Originally from Clarendon, Kira graduated from Wayland in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology and currently is pursuing her master's in Christian Ministry. "I am excited to be creative with the team and help them grow their love for cheer even more," Weatherton said.  

Davis began his role as assistant coach for the Flying Queens on July 1st, joining a storied program with a commitment to excellence on and off the court. Prior to Wayland, Davis served as a graduate assistant at NCAA DIII University of Dubuque, helping the program to back-to-back conference tournament appearances, developed multiple All-Conference and Academic honorees, and contributed to a nationally ranked defense and Top-25 WBCA academic team. Davis also spent time on staff with the New York Liberty as an analytics coordinator, advance scout, and coaching staff assistant, supporting playoff runs and the development of several WNBA postseason award winners. He additionally worked with the NBA G League Office, where he played a key role in statistical accuracy, rule innovation, and the early implementation of the NBA Coaches Challenge. During his time with the NBA G League Office, Davis also served as nightly support and Assistant GM for Hoop 1 Video, a legendary video company in the NBA, NHL, and NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball landscape. He began his career in basketball as an intern with the San Antonio Spurs, gaining valuable insight into the intersection of basketball and business operations. In addition, Davis has coached for various independent AAU programs in both New Jersey and Kentucky, managing aspects of player development, coaching, and providing mentorship. Davis holds a Master’s in Sport Management from the University of Dubuque and a Bachelor’s in Sport Administration from the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Lubbock, TX with his wife, Alexis, and their son, Henry.