SAN FRANCISCO – Vicki Brown has been tapped to lead San Francisco volleyball into its next era of the program, Director of Athletics Scott Sidwell announced today.

Brown, a former Illinois standout on the court and a youthful, innovative mind from the sidelines, joined the USF staff as an assistant this March and will now take on the task of leading the squad as the 10th head coach in program history.

"We are excited to have Vicki take the reigns of our indoor and sand volleyball programs," noted Sidwell. "Her energy and passion for changing our culture to return our program to the NCAA Championship has been evident since the day she arrived on the Hilltop.  We are aligned in our belief that we can compete in the top half of our league and compete for championships through a progressive recruiting plan and style of play.  We look forward to supporting Vicki and watching our program grow."

Originally from Toledo, Ohio, Brown previously served on the staff at UC Davis for two seasons. Prior to her time with the Aggies, she spent two years under Melissa Myers at Illinois State, helping the Missouri Valley Conference members to a combined 37-25 record. Her primary duties included defensive strategy, scouting and recruiting, while her on-court responsibilities were working with the Redbird middles. In 2013, under Brown's tutelage, Emily Schneider and LeighAnn Hranka ranked among the top three MVC leaders in blocks, and the Illinois State defense led the conference with a .153 opposing attack average.

Preceding her stint with the Redbirds, Brown served as a volunteer assistant at Toledo, where she worked with the opposites, liberos and defensive specialists. She also served as the head coach for the Toledo Volleyball Club 14s and 15s squad, becoming the leading expert in implementing training ideas for all other age-group coaches.

"I am honored and humbled to be selected as the new head coach for USF's indoor and sand volleyball programs and grateful to Scott Sidwell and Jim Young (Assoc. AD) for this opportunity," exclaimed Brown on the appointment. "Moving forward, the goal will be to enhance the culture to position the program for overall success.  As soon as I walked on campus it felt like home, and I am ready to lead our program as we take the next step."

Along with a budding coaching resume, Brown's prowess as a player allowed her to enjoy a professional career with stops in Austria, Puerto Rico and Spain. As a collegian at Illinois, Brown twice earned All-Big Ten honorable mention as a middle blocker, ranking among the league's top 10 hitters in each of her final two seasons. For her career, she amassed more than 1,000 career kills, broke the century mark in blocks for three straight years, and took home a total of six tournament MVP honors before graduating in 2008 with a degree in communications.

"Vicki is the type of person who has an impact on everyone she meets, her personality is magnetic," recalled Illinois head coach Kevin Hambly when Brown was initially hired by the Dons. "She is an extremely hard worker and is serious about being a great coach.  She has coached some very good teams with very good coaches and she has played at a high level; she will share her experience with the players.  She will give everything she has to the program, and people around her will enjoy every minute of it."

Brown graduated from Illinois in 2008 with a degree in communications. She played professionally around the globe for three years before entering the collegiate coaching ranks in 2011.