Gilad Doron Position: Head Coach Experience: Third Season Alma Mater: Temple '00

Gilad Doron enters his second season at the University of San Francisco looking to build on a solid debut in 2007. Doron was introduced as the ninth head coach in program history on March 14, 2007. It is the second Division I head coaching assignment for Doron who spent three years (2004-06) 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 helped USF to 17 victories in 2007, highlighted by home sweeps of defending West Coast Conference champion No. 12 San Diego and Santa Clara - the Dons first win against the Broncos since 1989. Now with five starters and nine letter-winners returning, Doron looks forward to leading San Francisco into its 32nd season of competition in 2008.

Doron continues to put his stamp on a program that has posted a school record three consecutive winning seasons and looks to help the Dons make inroads in the elite WCC. USF welcomes a talented recruiting class, featuring an outstanding mix of international and elite club and prep experience to every position on the roster.

Under Doron's guidance, three Dons earned all-conference honors, headlined by sophomore libero Haley Carroll who was named the WCC Defender of the Year. Junior middle Alix Gombos and freshman opposite Sarah Mandala earned WCC Honorable Mention accolades.

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

"Hopefully now they are expecting more from themselves, more than they maybe expected from themselves last year. As we're moving forward, the mentality, the experience of last year will definitely help us be in a better starting position this year."

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. In his first season at USF, setter Darcy Carroll was named to the WCC All-Academic Team.

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.