John Fluette, who played and coached at Sacramento State, will enter his sixth season on the coaching staff in 2025. Fluette returned for her second stint with staff in 2024, a season that saw the team win the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament.
A native of Antelope, Calif., Fluette (pronounced Floo-wet) served in an assistant capacity with the program from 2015-18, prior to making a return to the staff in 2024. No stranger to Sacramento State, he also spent five years playing for the Hornet men’s club volleyball team (2012-17) where he was a two-time All-American.
He was the assistant coach for a historic 2024 season that included the team winning the Big Sky Tournament championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007. The team finished with a 21-12 overall record, 11-5 in league play, and Sacramento State went 3-0 at the Big Sky Tournament in front of large home crowds throughout the entire event. It was the team’s second straight postseason appearance, which includes an NIVC berth in 2023.
The Hornets never lost more than two matches in a row, went 12-2 at home and saw three players named to the all-Big Sky Tournament team (MVP Bridgette Smith, Caitlin Volkmann, Reese Ampi). In addition, both Smith and Volkmann were named first team all-Big Sky, including Smith receiving first team honors for the fourth straight season.
During his first coaching stop with the Hornets, he served in both an assistant coach and volunteer capacity. That included the 2017 season, when as an assistant coach, he helped the team to a Big Sky Conference regular season championship, a 26-10 overall record, 15-1 in league play, and a trip to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC). The conference title was the program’s first since 2007.
During his five years with the program, the Hornets combined for a 109-57 overall record, 62-19 in league, and won at least 20 games four times. That included back-to-back Big Sky South Division championships (2017, 2016). In addition, the team won 31 consecutive Big Sky regular season home matches, a streak that stretched from the beginning of the 2015 season until late 2018.
Fluette spent five years playing for Sacramento State’s club volleyball team where he was a two-time All-American, four-time all-league selection and two-time team captain. He helped the Hornets to a 155-62 combined record, and finished his career with 1,845 kills, 786 digs, 395 blocks and 190 aces.
In between his coaching stints at Sacramento State, Fluette worked in the public health field. He has a Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) credential through the National Environmental Health Association.
He graduated from Sacramento State in 2018 with an environmental studies degree.
