A native of Goodland, Kansas, Vandiver played collegiately at Neosho County as well as Southwestern Oklahoma State University, starting all four of her college seasons, including an All-Conference campaign her final year at Neosho. She earned the hustle award at Southwestern as a junior before her final campaign was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vandiver's coaching career began as a volunteer assistant for one season at Northwest Kansas Technical College before moving onto Neosho County Community College. While there, she helped the Panthers to a 61-38 overall record and a high of number 15 national ranking while coaching nine All-Conference and five All-Region honorees.
