Sept. 23, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

UP NEXT FOR THE DONS: USF welcomes Penn and Seattle University to the Hilltop for its final non-conference tests before launching into the West Coast Conference schedule. San Francisco is fresh off a runner-up finish at the 2008 Cal State Fullerton Titan Classic. The Dons dispatched the host Titans in four, before dropping a hard-fought three game battle to No. 9 Cal. USF closed out tournament play with a 3-1 triumph against Central Connecticut State. San Francisco opens a five-match homestand against the Quakers. The Dons own a 6-1 record in the friendly confines of War Memorial Gym this season.

CARROLL AND MANDALA EARN ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS: Senior setter Darcy Carroll and sophomore opposite hitter Sarah Mandala were selected to the Cal State Fullerton Titan Classic all-tournament team. It is the first tournament honor for Carroll this season, second career and the fourth straight, fifth overall for Mandala. Carroll did an outstanding job running the offense as the Dons hit .281 for the weekend, averaging a team-high 10.55 assists including a season-high 57 against the host Titans in the opener. Mandala led USF offensively once again with 4.55 kills on .344 attacking and matched a career-high with 22 kills against Cal State Fullerton.

Carly Babin CLIMBING CAREER BLOCKS LIST: Senior middle blocker Carly Babin looks for a strong finish in her final season in the Green and Gold. Babin ranked among West Coast Conference leaders in attack percentage (fourth/.355) and blocks (fifth/1.18). Last season, Babin ranked third on the team in kills, averaging 2.82 per game. After just recording 17 total blocks as a freshman, Babin enters the fifth week of 2008 with 319, good for a share of sixth place on the career charts and her 49 solo stuffs rate 10th. Babin moved past Tracy Harrison (1982-85) who recorded 316, with eight blocks last weekend. The Las Vegas native enjoyed one of the most prolific blocking seasons in USF history as a sophomore in 2006, ranking second in single-season stuffs with 160.

Haley Carroll - SECOND IN USF CAREER DIGS: Junior libero Haley Carroll followed up an outstanding freshman season with an even better sophomore campaign and captured 2007 West Coast Conference Defender of the Year honors. It was the first major individual conference award ever presented to a Don. Carroll led the league in digs (4.97) and was even better in WCC contests (5.64). The Gilroy, CA native is the first player in program history to twice surpass 500 digs in a single season and is on track to do so once again with 206 in 12 matches. Carroll enters the fifth week of the 2008 season ranked second on the USF career digs chart with 1,250 and last weekend passed Dons Hall-of-Famer and Legend of the Hilltop Melanie Kaiser (1988-91), who tallied 1,236.

Alix Gombos ATTACKS WITH AUTHORITY: Senior middle blocker Alix Gombos turned in a strong junior season, capped by her second straight All-West Coast Conference Honorable Mention selection. Gombos ranked fourth among league leaders in blocks (fourth/1.22) and attack percentage (seventh/.309). Gombos elevated her game during WCC play, 2.20 kills on .320 hitting with 1.30 blocks per game. The Oregonian turned in one of the finest offensive seasons by a middle as a sophomore, ranking second among league leaders in attack percentage (.345) and seventh among league block leaders (1.14). Gombos enters her final collegiate campaign as the top attacker in program history (.328).

Sarah Mandala GETS IT DONE: Sophomore opposite hitter Sarah Mandala turned in the most prolific offensive season by a freshman in school history and ranked second in kills (3.40) and captured West Coast Conference Honorable Mention selection after averaging a team-high 3.53 kills on .267 hitting during league matches. A two-time WCC Player of the Week selection, Mandala shattered the freshman kills record with 350 in her inaugural season, easily surpassing Theresa Hart (2003-05), who tallied 277 in 2003. Mandala leads the Dons offensively, averaging 3.89 kills on .262 hitting.

Gilad Doron ENTERS SECOND SEASON IN THE GREEN AND GOLD: After guiding USF to its program record third straight winning season, Gilad Doron enters his second season on the Hilltop. Doron was named as head coach March 14, 2007. Before arriving on the Hilltop, Doron spent three years as the head coach at Villanova (2004-06), guiding the Wildcats to back-to-back winning seasons in the Big East. Doron is assisted on the bench by former US National Team setter Dan Fisher, who enters his second season on the Hilltop and his first as the associate head coach and Sam Hastings, who also enters her second year at USF after playing Doron at Villanova.

Darcy Carroll MOVING ON UP CAREER ASSISTS CHART: Senior setter Darcy Carroll enjoyed the finest season of her career last season, ranking fifth among West Coast Conference leaders in assists (11.01), the sixth-best single season tally in program history. Last year the Dons offense hit at a .228 rate, the third best mark in program history, with Carroll doing the lion's share of setting. Carroll enters week five of her final season on the Hilltop ranked sixth in career assists with 2,596. Molly McEnery (1994-96) currently sits in the fifth spot with 2,928. A 2005 West Coast Conference Freshman Team selection, Carroll dished out a career-high 71 assists against No. 14 Cal Poly (9/14/07). So far this season, Carroll averages 8.07 kills per game while primarily running a 6-2 offense.

Addie Webster VERSATILE FOR USF: Senior outside hitter Addie Webster made solid contributions for the Dons in her first season on the Hilltop, ranking fourth on the team in kills (2.58) and was third in digs (2.59). A transfer from Eastern Washington, Webster captured Big Sky Newcomer of the Year honors in 2005 and turned in a team-high seven double-double matches for the Dons. Webster recorded 13 kills on .306 hitting to go along with 16 digs against Fresno State (8/25) and turned in 12 kills and 17 digs against Cal State Northridge (8/25). With her ninth kill against Cal State Fullerton (9/19) Webster reached 1,000 career kills. Webster notched 669 kills with the Eagles. Entering the fifth week of 2008, Webster averages 2.47 kills and 2.74 digs per game.

TAKING THE FIFTH: USF is 1-1 in five-set matches this season, taking a 3-2 victory against Missouri State (8/29) and falling to Miami (9/13), good for an impressive 17-11 record in matches going the distance since the start of the 2003 season. The Dons posted a 2-3 record in five sets in 2007. San Francisco's streak of nine consecutive five-game match wins came to an end in the 2006 regular season finale against Portland State in the Banker's Classic. The Dons posted its ninth straight five set decision with a thriller at Long Island (9/22) at the 2006 LIU Blackbird Invitational. The Dons turned in an impressive 6-0 record in five-game matches in 2005 after going 0-4 during the 2004 campaign. Since 2003, the Dons are 14-7 in matches going the distance. USF was 5-2 in five sets during its "Season of Firsts", with its only two setbacks coming against No. 13 Loyola Marymount and No. 5 Pepperdine.

USF AGAINST 2007 NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS: Last season, USF played no fewer than 11 matches against teams advancing to the 2007 NCAA Tournament. The Dons posted a 3-8 overall record against NCAA postseason qualifiers. San Francisco dispatched Xavier (3-0), Santa Clara (3-0) and No. 12 San Diego (3-0). In addition, USF went 1-3 against top-25 opponents last season. The win against the Toreros was the first ranked victory for the Dons since taking down USD in 2003.