Gilad Doran Position: Head Coach Experience: First Season Alma Mater: Temple '00

Gilad Doron enters his first season on the Hilltop after being named USF's new head volleyball coach on March 14, 2007. Doron readies for his second Division I head coaching assignment after spending the last three years as the head coach at Villanova, guiding the Wildcats to back-to-back winning seasons in the Big East.

Ready To Guide The Dons
Doron will lead the Dons into their 31st season of competition in 2007 and is the ninth head coach in school history. Doron replaces Jeff Nelson, who departed to take the head job at New Mexico.

Doron takes over the reigns of a USF squad that matched the highest win tally in program history in 2006, compiling a 23-10 record and the second upper echelon WCC finish in four seasons. Doron inherits a team which loses just three players from last year's record-setting team and welcomes one of the highest-touted recruiting classes in school history.

Doron welcomes the opportunity to lead an experienced team into action in one of the nation's top volleyball conferences.

"I am very pleased to be able to come to San Francisco and become a part of such a wonderful institution as the University of San Francisco," Doron said. "The decision to come to USF was a hard one for me because I am eternally grateful to Villanova University and the leadership opportunity they have afforded me. I am looking forward to this opportunity to create something special at USF."

Renovating Villanova
An experienced and well-respected coach, Doron compiled a 46-44 overall record on the Main Line and catapulted Villanova to its first 20-plus win season since 1997 with a 21-11 mark in 2005, capped by a berth in the Big East Tournament. The Wildcats posted a 12-win improvement from 2004 to 2005, the second best turnaround in Big East history. Villanova got out of the gate quickly in 2005, matching the best start in program history with 10 consecutive wins to start the season. Along the way, the `Cats defeated Pittsburgh for the first time since 1998 and started Big East play at 2-0 for the first time since 2002 after registering a road sweep against the Panthers and West Virginia.

Doron coached a pair of All-Big East Second Team performers during his tenure on the Main Line. Middle blocker Kacy Sellers (2005) and Adrian Semrau (2006) captured accolades for their `Cat exploits. Six student-athletes earned Big East weekly honors during Doron's watch.

Academic Focus
Doron demanded excellence in the classroom and his student-athletes responded. In just three seasons, 30 Villanova volleyball players were selected to the Big East Honor Roll. Semrau earned ESPN/CoSIDA District II Academic Team honors in 2006. Villanova earned two AVCA Academic Team Awards from 2004-06.

Having A Hoot at Temple
Prior to his stint at Villanova, Doron served as an assistant coach at Temple University from 1996-1999. In four seasons in Philadelphia, Doron helped the Owls post a 101-28 (.783) overall record and a remarkable 70-11 (.864) slate in Atlantic-10 action. In four seasons, Temple averaged 25.3 wins a season and 17.5 league wins and ran the table in A-10 play in 1997, posting a 22-0 mark.

As an assistant under head coach Bob Bertucci, Doron helped guide the Owls to the most successful three-year run in program history, capped by back-to-back-to-back Atlantic 10 titles and three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Doron worked with two-time Asics All-American Honorable Mention Alma Kovacci, six AVCA All-District selections and six Atlantic-10 First Team picks.

The Philadelphia Volleyball Academy
In between his time at Temple and taking over the helm at Villanova, Doron founded the Philadelphia Volleyball Academy. The nationally ranked volleyball club fields five teams comprised of players aged 14-18. Doron supervised a coaching staff of eight and provided guidance on implementing strategies and team goals.

Doron also spent three years as the head girls' volleyball coach for Synergy Volleyball Club in Philadelphia. He worked with U-18 players on a nationally ranked club squad that qualified for the national championships in 2001 and 2002. In 2002, his U-18 team earned a No. 12 national ranking, and compiled an overall record of 100-27.

Israeli National Team Member
Doron began his coaching career in Israel as the head men's volleyball coach for the Mate Asher Professional Volleyball Club, where he mentored national team players from Israel, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Croatia. Doron led his teams to the 1994 Israeli championship and the finals of the 1995 Israel Cup. Mate Asher was also a qualifier in the European League in 1996.

An accomplished player, Doron competed for the Israeli National team for 10 years and was part of the squad that placed fourth in the World University Games in Japan in 1995. He played 12 seasons with Mate Asher, helping lead the club to four Israeli League titles and two Israeli Cup championships.

The Personal File
A 2000 graduate of Temple University with a degree in Business Administration, Doron and his wife Jennifer have a son, Kai Jonathon. The Doron family lives in San Francisco.