Our sixth in a series honoring our
2019 Hall of Fame, today we would like to highlight San Francisco women's volleyball alumna Teresa (Russell) Fowler. Formal induction ceremonies are scheduled for Friday, Feb. 22, at the Father Hubert "Hub" Flynn Hall of Fame Dinner in War Memorial at the Sobrato Center on the USF campus. The festivities will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by the dinner program at 7:30 p.m. The inductees will also be honored at halftime of the USF-Gonzaga women's basketball game on Feb. 23.
The University of San Francisco had never had one of its women's volleyball teams reach the NCAA Tournament. But 2003 was going to be the year.
And it was a year that Teresa (Russell) Fowler nearly missed entirely.
Led by an all-star cast that included four all-West Coast Conference honorees (including Fowler), the Dons started the 2003 campaign a spectacular 15-0. The team made a 17-match turnaround in the win column from 2002, recorded the program's first-ever 20-win season, earned the program's first-ever national ranking and set a program record for kills in a season (1,862) en route to qualifying for the program's first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Fowler made huge contributions to that 2003 squad's success, leading the team in blocks (138) and attack percentage (.312), but it was only after she had recovered from a major knee injury and had missed the entire 2002 season prior.
For her efforts in her senior year, Fowler earned the Comeback Player of the Year Award. Her hard work on the hardwood also translated to the classroom, where she was a physics and mathematics major. In 2003, she was also awarded USF's Anne Dolan Award for being the department's top student-athlete, and the Sandee Hill Award, for best representing USF as a student-athlete.
Fowler was a three-time all-WCC Honorable Mention honoree for her work between the lines, and she was a three-time WCC All-Academic First Team award winner for her work in school as well.
Her 2003 season was a historic one, as she posted the sixth-most kills ever in a single season at USF with 457, and the fourth-most blocks in a single season with 138. She set top-10 single season marks in blocks during three of her four playing years on The Hilltop, leaving her as one of the greatest blockers ever at USF.
Fowler etched her name into the USF record books as one of the most diversely talented players the Dons had ever had. She is the only USF volleyball player ever to rank in the top-10 in three career record categories. She is first all-time in career blocks (454), sixth all-time in career kills (1,244), and 10th all-time in career digs (918).
The rich and storied tradition of USF Athletics will come alive on Friday, Feb. 22, with the induction of six new members and a team into the school's distinguished Athletic Hall of Fame.
USF's Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2019, the 45th group of inductees, includes: Teresa (Russell) Fowler '04 (volleyball), Chubby Cox '78 (men's basketball), John Cox '05 (men's basketball), Dominique Carter '08 (women's basketball), Coach Walt Bugler 1976-80 (women's basketball), and Felipe Magalháes '81 (men's soccer), as well as the 2009 women's cross country team.
With the inclusion of the new members, USF's Athletic Hall of Fame now includes 278 individuals and 23 teams.
Formal induction ceremonies are scheduled for Friday, Feb. 22 at the Father Hubert "Hub" Flynn Hall of Fame Dinner at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. The festivities will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by the dinner program at 7:30 p.m. The inductees will also be honored at the women's basketball game on Feb. 23 against Gonzaga..
Individual reservations for the Father Hubert "Hub" Flynn Hall of Fame Dinner are priced at $100 while a table of 10 may be purchased for $900.
The Athletic Department has announced the formation of an athletic alumni association whose mission will be to engage and connect former students across different sports, generations and geographical areas in an attempt to build and foster an on-going association with USF Athletics.
All former students who have competed for a minimum of one year in an intercollegiate sport are eligible, as are team managers and spirit squad members who compiled at least three years of service as an undergraduate.
Join the Dons Honor Club
