Oct. 27, 2008

(San Francisco) - For the first time in five years, the USF Volleyball team is nationally ranked. The Dons are ranked a program-high 22nd in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top-25 Poll that was released on Monday. The last time, and only time in program history, that the Dons were cracked the national polls was on September 29, 2003 when San Francisco was listed at 24th.

USF's (17-4 overall, 7-0 West Coast Conference) ranking comes as the Dons completed a sweep of visiting Loyola Marymount (3-0) and then-No. 15 Pepperdine (3-1) last week at War Memorial Gym. The win over the Waves marked the second time in program history USF has defeated Pepperdine, it also snapped a 29-match losing streak to the Waves which dated back to 1993.

San Francisco has won 10 straight matches, including three victories over ranked teams in as many weeks (then-No. 15 San Diego, then-No. 18 Santa Clara and then-No. 15 Pepperdine). During the span, the Dons also knocked off Saint Mary's, who were receiving votes in the polls.

The Dons are one of five West Coast Conference programs to earn a top-25 rank or receive votes in the poll. Joining USF in the polls is San Diego ranked 15th, Pepperdine ranked 19th, Santa Clara ranked 24th, and Saint Mary's, which is receiving votes. The WCC is only one of four conferences to have five or more teams ranked or receiving votes in this week's poll. The other conferences are the Pacific-10 with eight, the Big X with six and the Big XII with five.

2008 AVCA DIVISION I COACHES TOP-25 POLL

Poll #9: October 27, 2008

Rank	School	Record
1	Penn State	22-0
2	Nebraska	20-0
3	Texas	16-2
4	California	18-2
5	Stanford	17-3
6	Washington	16-3
7	Oregon	17-4
8	Hawai'i	17-3
9	UCLA	14-6
10	Wichita State	22-0
11	Florida	17-2
12	USC	11-7
13	Minnesota	18-4
14	Colorado State	18-2
15	San Diego	16-3
16	Kansas State	18-4
17	Illinois	15-5
18	Michigan	18-4
19	Pepperdine	16-3
20	Purdue	17-5
21	Kentucky	20-3
22	SAN FRANCISCO	17-4
23	Saint Louis	19-4
24	Santa Clara	13-6
25	Wisconsin	14-8

Others Receiving Votes: Cal Poly, Arizona, Utah, Long Beach State, New Mexico State, Oregon State, Tulane, UAB, Middle Tennessee, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Baylor, North Carolina, Saint Mary's

BOLD INDICATES 2008 OPPONENT

USF VOLLEYBALL NOTES (10/27/08)

DONS REMAIN PERFECT IN WEST COAST CONFERENCE PLAY: San Francisco's 7-0 conference start sets the school record for start to the league season. 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. In addition to winning all seven league contests this season; USF has won nine straight WCC contests, including victories over Gonzaga and Portland to close out the season a year ago.

SAN FRANCISCO MATCHES WIN TOTAL FROM A YEAR AGO: Thanks to the victory over Pepperdine Saturday, USF matched its win total from a year ago. The Dons currently stand at 17-4 overall, 7-0 WCC this season, while a year ago they finished with a 17-13 overall, 6-8 WCC mark. The 17 victories mark the fourth best in school history, while the school record is 23 wins. USF won 17 matches in the 1985 and 2007 seasons, 18 in the 2005 campaign and 23 in the 2006 and 2003 seasons. The 2003 campaign marked the first and only time, in San Francisco history that the Dons were selected to partake in the NCAA Tournament.

USF CONTINUES TO ROLL AT HOME: With a sweep over Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine this weekend, USF continues to be a threat when playing in the friendly confines of War Memorial Gym. Through the opening nine weeks of the season, the Dons have amassed a school-best 12-1 record on the Hilltop. 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 39-16 record when playing at home, including going 7-3 during the 2006 campaign.