When it comes to recruiting trips, Gilad Doron knows how to fill up a passport.
 
He has traveled the world to round out USF's volleyball roster during his nine seasons as head coach, as players from Germany, Slovenia, Israel, Croatia and the Netherlands have all left their marks on the Dons' program in recent years.
 
However, Doron only had to make a short drive to San Francisco's Outer Sunset District to find a player who is quickly establishing herself as one of the top freshmen in the West Coast Conference.
 
Madison Murtagh, a San Francisco native who attended Sacred Heart Cathedral in the City, had plenty of options when it came to choosing where she would spend her next four years playing volleyball while pursuing a degree in business administration. Her decision to stay close to home wasn't made hastily and was counterintuitive for some of the many reasons some young people draw a 500-mile radius around their house as their maximum comfort zone when choosing a college.
 
Call her an anomaly but Murtagh actually loves the familiar surroundings of her hometown and being close to her family and friends. She wasn't ready to say good bye to the cold, damp fog that blankets the family home on 44th Avenue near Ocean Beach, long hikes at Lands End, shopping trips downtown or visits to AT&T Park to watch her beloved Giants play.
 
"I looked around but I was really comfortable here at USF and connected with all of the coaches and players," said Murtagh."I don't think I was ready to leave the City just yet. I will be eventually, but not right now. I feel so fortunate to have been born and raised in San Francisco. It really is the best city in the world and I'm proud to call it home."
 
Murtagh was also very familiar with the university and its volleyball program before she committed to USF last spring. Her first introduction to USF came through her father, Tim, who has worked in the university's Facilities Management Department since 2007. Her older sister Mackenzie was a four-year letterwinner for the Dons from 2009-12. Madison rarely missed any of her sister's home matches and the culture surrounding the volleyball program and the campus environment made quite an impression on her at an early age.
 
"Mackenzie and I are four and a half years apart but we've always been very close because it's just the two of us," said Murtagh. "She had such a great experience here at USF and that wasn't lost on me as I began considering colleges. The coaches are really down to earth here and they take a genuine interest in your development as a person and not just as a volleyball player. That means a lot to me. It's a much more tight-knit program and I like that."
 
While there were many positive factors pointing Murtagh to the Hilltop from an early age, her family made it clear the final decision of where she would attend college would rest on her shoulders.
 
"My parents and Mackenzie wanted me to make the decision on my own based on what I felt was best," said Murtagh. "I think if I were to have gone elsewhere it would have been somewhere fairly close enough for my parents and sister could watch me play. My parents have done so much for me over the years and I thought it would be real special for them to share in the experience all over again."
 
Needless to say, Doron was thrilled to welcome another Murtagh to the program.
 
"We were very familiar with the family obviously because of Mackenzie but Madison brings her own personality to our program," said Doron. "She's a great student of the game and one of the most competitive players we have. We love that Madison made her own decision to come to USF. I think that makes her that much more committed to the process."
 
Murtagh, a middle blocker, made an immediate impact in the Dons rotation. USF won its first 13 matches to open the season and she was named most valuable player of the Utah State Gossner Invitational in September. Teaming with sophomore Oluoma Okaro to form one of the top blocking tandems in the West Coast Conference, Murtagh ranks second in the WCC in hitting percentage while her team-leading 1.18 blocks per game ranks sixth among the conference leaders.
 
"Madison has made a huge impact," said Doron. "She reads the game very well, is a good blocker and an underrated attacker. The power might not be as evident but she is one of the best young players I've coached in taking advantage of what is given to her. She might not look physically intimidating but she is always right there competing against top hitters.
 
"The impact she is making is a testament to her dedication and how much she wants to win."
 
While Murtagh came to USF with a built-in comfort level, her adjustment to the rigors of Division I volleyball is continuous.
 
"I was here all summer conditioning and without that time I don't think I would be playing at the same level," she said. "There were some adjustments early on but I got more comfortable with each and every match. Knowing my teammates trusted me on the court really helped my confidence."
 
Someday this girl from the Avenues might leave the only city she has ever called home and it's likely that decision is going to be a lot more difficult than the one she made to stay home in the first place.
 
-- Jim Young, Associate Athletics Director / Communications & Community Relations