Lisa Baptista

Class

1986
Honors

Volleyball (1981-1982), Women's Basketball (1981-1983)

Major: Sports Administration
Hometown: Auckland, New Zealand
Career Highlights: USF Women’s Athlete of the Year 1981-1982; Women's Basketball starter who also played women's volleyball for two seasons.

Biography: Baptista was a two-sport athlete who played both women's basketball and volleyball on the Hilltop in the early 1980s. She played under legendary coach Walt Bugler and finished her career ranked in the Top-10 for All-Time assists. After finishing her basketball career at USF she went on to become a women's basketball Divsion-1 Referee, handling many assignments, and officiating games along the West Coast.

Why Baptista Chose USF: "I loved San Francisco and the University provided me with an opportunity to play and be educated close to my family. USF had a rich history in basketball and to be a part of the USF family was an opportunity that I was not going to let pass by."

Favorite USF Memory: "We were conference champions in my Freshman year and ranked as high as 12th in the nation in the AIAW national rankings. We had some outstanding wins against Stanford, Cal, USC, Oregon and Oregon State. We were underdogs and unknowns, except for our star player Mary Hile, but we played together like we had been playing together for years."

The USF Student-Athlete Experience: "I remember bonding with my teammates and having a common goal to win and strive to be excellent. It was an honor to be a Don and represent the University of San Francisco. I never dreamed of playing basketball in college and Title IX gave me an opportunity to participate in the sport that I love while earning a college degree. I will forever be thankful for my time at USF. Winning isn’t about the win, it’s about how hard you’re willing to work to attempt to win. The results will speak for themselves."

Life After USF: Baptista pursued and received a Doctor of Chiropractic Degree. She has been in private practice for 27 years. For the first 13 years, she practiced full time in Honolulu, Hawaii. Over the last 14 years, she has transitioned into teaching. Baptista is now a full time senior faculty member at the New Zealand College of Chiropractic in Auckland, New Zealand. She also became a Division-1 Women’s Basketball Official working in the WAC, WCC, BIg Sky and Big West Conferences. She is a member of Toastmasters and Influence Ecology and occasionally speaks to groups of people about Transactional Competence.

The 1983 Volleyball season was one of intense action and excitement. The team was coached by Marty Kennedy. She was assisted by Liz Sloan, who made a late appearance, but integrated herself into the team with ease. The Volleyball Dons played over fifty games in cities ranging from as far North as Seattle and Spokane down to Los Angels. Kelly Fey, whose mean serves pierced the defenses of many opponents, was the captain of this group. Kelly was backed up by Kathy Shindler's stunning spikes and Jenni Boron's perfect setting.

Mary Feely provided an invaluable source of encouragement and spirit for her teammates through thick and thin. The graduating Seniors include Lisa Baptista, Laura Bertani, Mary Feely and Kelly Fey. There are five freshmen in this group, so the future looks bright for the USF Volleyball Team (TheDon).

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