Oct. 14, 2008

Game Notes and Stats in PDF Format

(San Francisco) - UP NEXT FOR THE DONS: USF volleyball looks to extend a six-match win streak this week as it takes to the road to continue West Coast Conference play at Saint Mary's and rival Santa Clara. Thursday, the Dons will face the Gaels in Moraga at 7 p.m. before traveling to face the No. 18 Broncos in Santa Clara. The match-up with Saint Mary's is slated for 7 pm start, while first serve against Santa Clara is scheduled for 1 p.m.

LAST WEEK: The Dons continued West Coast Conference play last Saturday in winning fashion, earning a 22-25, 26-24, 25-23, 25-18 upset victory over then-No. 15 San Diego at War Memorial Gym. Carly Babin continued her stellar senior season in the contest, as the senior middle blocker hit .826 with 19 kills, one service ace, seven digs and seven blocks. As a team, USF hit at a .328 clip on the afternoon, including posting a .708 hitting percentage in the final set. The win improved San Francisco to 3-0 in conference play and an school-best 10-1 when playing at home.

BABIN, GOMBOS RANK NATIONALLY IN TOP-10 HITTING PERCENTAGE: Senior middle blockers Carly Babin and Alix Gombos both rank in the NCAA Division I top-10 in hitting percentage. Babin is listed at fifth with a .445 average, while Gombos checks in at 10th, with a .426 clip. USF is the only school with two members of its roster listed in the top-10 or -15 and only one of two schools with two squad members listed in the top-20. Penn State's Christa Harmotto leads the nation with a .516 average.

DONS REMAIN PERFECT IN WEST COAST CONFERENCE PLAY: San Francisco's 3-0 conference start marks the first time in over 20 years that the Dons have opened league play with a 3-0 record. During the 1987 season, USF opened conference play with a 5-0 record before finishing the conference season with a program-best 9-5 mark.

Carly Babin NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: University of San Francisco senior opposite middle blocker Carly Babin continues to post a stellar season and has earned one more accolade to add to her list of accomplishments, as she was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week on Monday. The native of Las Vegas, Nev. led the Dons past San Diego last week, leading USF with a .826 hitting percentage. Her average marked the third best in San Francisco single-match history, and the best average for a Don in four games. Against the Toreros, Babin recorded 19 kills, a career-high seven digs and a match-high seven blocks. Babin's selection marks the first Player of the Week honor for USF this season. Last year, San Francisco earned the accolade once as Sarah Mandala was awarded the honor on October 29.

Alix Gombos ATTACKS WITH AUTHORITY, MOVES UP ON BLOCKS LIST: After an impressive junior season in which she was awarded All-WCC Honorable Mention accolades, senior middle blocker Alix Gombos continues to shine in her final season on the Hilltop. The Oregonian currently leads the Dons with 68 blocks, seven solo, averaging 1.13 a game, while hitting at a .426 clip with 141 kills (2.35), ranking her second in the West Coast Conference and 10th in NCAA Division I. Gombos played a crucial role in the upset over the Toreros Saturday posting 11 kills on .429 hitting with six blocks. Thanks to her six blocks, she now ranks seventh in the USF record books with 322 career blocks.

Sarah Mandala GETS IT DONE: Sophomore opposite hitter Sarah Mandala turned in the most prolific offensive season by a freshman in school history, ranking second in kills (3.40) and capturing West Coast Conference Honorable Mention selection after averaging a team-high 3.53 kills on .267 hitting during league matches. Mandala currently leads the Dons offensively, averaging 3.52 kills (225) on .257 hitting. The native of San Dimas has also added 14 assists, 12 service aces, 85 digs and 55 blocks for USF this season.

USF CONTINUES TO ROLL AT HOME: With the upset over No. 15 San Diego, USF continues to be a threat when playing in the friendly confines of War Memorial Gym. Through the opening seven weeks of the season, the Dons have amassed a school-best 10-1 record on the Hillltop. The lone loss at home this season was a 3-2 battle to Miami on Saturday, Sept. 13 as part of the 2008 Asics/Coca-Cola Invitational. In the past four years, San Francisco has posted a 37-16 record when playing at home, including going 7-3 during the 2006 campaign.

DONS GOING STREAKING: USF extended its winning streak to six matches thanks to a 3-1 victory over then-No. 15 San Diego Saturday at War Memorial Gym. After dropping a 3-0 decision to nationally ranked California on September 20, the Dons have strung together victories over Central Connecticut State, Penn, Seattle, Portland, Gonzaga and San Diego. The longest win streak in San Francisco history was 15-0 stretch to open the 2003 season en route to qualifying for the first NCAA Tournament berth in program history.

USF PACES WCC IN BLOCKS: USF leads the West Coast Conference in blocks in both all games and league contests. Overall, the Dons average 2.39 blocks per game and 3.32 blocks per game against WCC foes. Individually, Alix Gombos, Carly Babin and Sarah Mandala each rank in the top-10 for blocks in overall matches. Gombos is listed second with 1.12 blocks per game, Babin, fifth with 1.08 and Mandala 10th with 0.86. In conference action, Gombos, Babin and Mandala rank round out the top three, while Addie Webster is ranked ninth.

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 for Doron at Villanova.

Carly Babin CONTINUES TO ADD TO STELLAR CAREER: Senior middle blocker Carly Babin continues to add to a stellar career resume and is looking for a strong finish in her final season in the Green and Gold. Babin is currently ranked among West Coast Conference leaders in attack percentage (first/.445), blocks (fifth/1.08), kills (eighth/3.15) and points (eighth/3.92). After just recording 17 total blocks as a freshman, Babin enters the eighth week of 2008 with 349, good for sole possession of sixth place on the career charts and her 52 solo stuffs rate 10th. Babin moved past Sharon Mellen (1985-88) who recorded 319, with 15 blocks earlier this season. 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. Against the Toreros, Babin posted a career effort, leading the Dons with a .826 hitting percentage. Babin's average marked the third best in USF single-match history, and the best average for a Don in four games. The native of Las Vegas, Nev. recorded 19 kills, a career-high seven digs and a match-high seven blocks in the contest.

Haley Carroll PACES WCC IN TWO CATEGORIES - 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 245 in 14 matches. Carroll enters the eighth week of the 2008 season ranked second on the USF career digs chart with 1,323 and earlier this season passed Dons Hall-of-Famer and Legend of the Hilltop Melanie Kaiser (1988-91), who tallied 1,236. In addition to leading the WCC with 33 service aces (0.52), Carroll also ranks second in digs with 289 (4.52).

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 eight of her final season on the Hilltop ranked sixth in career assists with 2,765. 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 8.46 assists 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 eighth week of 2008, Webster averages 2.27 kills and 2.61 digs per game. Against San Diego, Webster fell just short of a double-double with nine kills on .429 hitting, with a dozen digs. Webster also dished out four assists and posted four blocks.

FRESHMEN MAKING AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT: San Francisco's roster this year features four freshmen Erin Bragg (redshirt), Chelsey Lowe, Leinani Keanini, and Erin Kilroy. Bragg leads the pack of newcomers, boasting 61 kills with 27 blocks, 16 digs and three service aces. Lowe is also making a statement with 12 assists, eight service aces and 89 digs. Keanini has earned 18 kills, 49 digs, six service aces and three blocks, while in one appearance, Kilroy recorded a dig.

USF AGAINST 2007 NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS: This season, USF will play against seven teams that participated in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Included in the seven opponents is this week's foe, Santa Clara. Heading into week eight of the season, the Dons have posted a 3-2 record against 2007 Tournament participants. San Francisco opened the season with a 3-1 loss to Long Beach State before rebounding with a 3-2 victory over Missouri State. On September 12, the Dons handed Sacramento State a 3-0 sweep, before dropping a 3-0 decision to then-No. 9 California on September 20. Last weekend, USF upset then-No. 15 San Diego 3-1 at War Memorial Gym. A year ago, USF posted a 3-8 overall record against NCAA postseason qualifiers, including a 3-0 victory over Santa Clara.

TAKING THE FIFTH: USF is 2-1 in five-set matches this season, taking a 3-2 victory against Missouri State (8/29), falling to Miami (9/13) and posting a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Penn last week. The Dons have posted an impressive 18-11 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.

TOURNAMENTS IN REVIEW: This season, the Dons competed in four tournaments - the Long Beach Tournament, 2008 Asics/Powerade Challenge, the 2008 Asics/Coca-Cola Invitational, and the Cal State Fullerton Tournament. San Fransico earned the title of the Asics/Powerade Challenge, after posting victories over UC Santa Barbara (3-1), Texas-Arlington (3-0) and Utah State (3-0). During the event, Carly Babin was named the MVP, while Alix Gombos and Sarah Mandala earned all-tournament honors. USF finished as runner-up in the other three tournaments, including going 2-1 at the Asics/Coca-Cola Inivitational and the Cal State Fullerton Tournament. Mandala earned all-tournament honors during all three runner-up finishes, while Haley Carroll was also recognized at the Asics/Coca-Cola Invitational and Darcy Carroll earned accolades at the Cal State Fullerton tournament.