SAN FRANCISCO –The USF Dons begin their third season of the newly emerged NCAA sport of sand volleyball this Friday eager, energized and more experienced to face some of the toughest competition in the sport.
 
USF will take to the sand courts at the Nor Cal Invitational with action commencing this Friday, March 6 at Stanford.
 
Through the leadership and guidance from co-head coaches Gilad Doron and Eyal Zimet, USF hopes to place itself in a position for AVCA tournament play by the end of the season.
 
"This season we are excited to challenge our team with strong competition and as well as learn from this short, but intense season," said Zimet. "This season is a great way for the women to take what they learn on the sand and bring it with them into indoor competition."
 
With ten women returning to the sand courts, their experience will be a valuable resource when competing against strong teams such as 2014 AVCA national champion Pepperdine and USC, the 2014 AVCA national pairs champions.
 
"For our returners who have gotten two years of play under their belt, the skill level is night and day in terms of where we once started" said Doron "Those two years of experience definitely shows and will be of great use for this season." 
 
USF seniors will be using their leadership and experiences in sand play to influence a successful season. In their final season as a Don, Valentina Zaloznik and Anja Segota will be of major use in sand action. Last sand season, Zaloznik partnered with junior Sara Staengle to go 5-5 and Segota worked with senior at that time, Rebecca Kopilovitch, to finish with a winning record of 5-4.
 
Two freshmen, Oluoma Okaro and Jessica Gaffney, take to the sand for the first time as collegians. For Okaro, the 2015 season will mark her first sand competition of her career. Doron and Zimet look forward to seeing how she evolves in play by the end of the season. Gaffney who has been apart of the USA Sand Volleyball Pipeline competition, will use her adaptation and knowledge in competition to not only assist her in play but as well as become a useful resource for her teammates in hopes to improve their game as well.
 
In the indoor season Okaro finished with 147 kills and 46 blocks and Gaffney ended with 202 kills, 217 digs and 45 blocks.
 
With a wide variety of players on the roster, USF's pairings will be flexible this season. Because of the longer preparation time before their first competition, Doron and Zimet have been able to take a better look at what players will work best with others and have noticed multiple pairings that could be of possibility in play.
 
Last year, the Dons finished the 2014 season with an overall record or 4-6, earning wins against Cal Poly, Sacramento State, San Jose and California.
 
The sand season plays an integral role in preparing teams for the fall indoor season. A shorter schedule enables the women to increase their stamina, improve their focus, and remain determined in play.