Nov. 30, 2008

(San Francisco, Calif.) - The No. 24 USF volleyball team has earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and will face Duke in Los Angeles on the campus of UCLA. The Dons and Blue Devils will square off Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion. USF and Duke are joined in Los Angeles by LSU and host No. 10 UCLA. The winners of the first round matches will meet in second round play Saturday at 7 p.m.

"We are thrilled and excited to be going to the big dance," said USF head coach Gilad Doron. "Duke is a strong tough team. Their coach has done a good job over the last couple of years. They will be a tough opponent but hopefully we can match up well against them.

Being part of the 64 teams in the Tournament is great for us and our program. There are a lot of teams whose seasons are over and we are happy to have to opportunity to continue playing in the postseason."

The appearance marks the Dons second trip to the NCAA's in program history. Prior to this season, the Dons lone appearance in the NCAA Tournament came in 2003, when USF fell in the opening round to Pacific.

USF's selection into the Tournament comes on the heels of a record breaking season for the Dons. San Francisco finished the regular season with a 22-7 record, 11-3 in the West Coast Conference for a program-high second place finish. The Dons' 22 wins is one short of tying a school record of 23, while their 11 league victories mark a program-best.

Duke finished the 2008 regular season with a 24-8 overall mark including going 15-5 in ACC action and finishing as the ACC Co-Champions.

The Dons are one of five WCC teams to earn a spot in the field of 64. Saint Mary's, Santa Clara, San Diego and Pepperdine also have earned bids, making the West Coast Conference one of three conferences to have five or more teams selected to the field. The Pacific-10 Conference earned six bids, while the Big Ten also earned five.

Check back on www.USFDons.com for more details as they become available.