COLBERG TO BE INDUCTED INTO THE HALL OF FAME BY THE AVCA 9/5/2007 SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Sacramento State head volleyball coach Debby Colberg, who recently picked up her 800th career victory and is in her 32nd and final season with the Hornets, will be inducted into the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Hall of Fame later this year. The 2007 AVCA Hall of Fame class will be inducted in a ceremony on Dec. 13 at the Jostens Coaches Honors Luncheon, which is held in conjunction with the AVCA Annual Convention and the NCAA Tournament Final Four in Sacramento. Colberg will be inducted along with Penn State’s Russ Rose and Steve Shondell of Muncie Burris Laboratory High School. The induction of this year’s three honorees now brings the total number of individuals honored to 41 in the five years of the AVCA Hall of Fame. “Halls of Fame are reserved for those who have done exceptional work for a long, long time,” said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. “These three candidates are the best of the best. In their different settings, they are the definition of ‘sustained excellence’.”   Colberg announced in August that she will retire at the conclusion of the 2007 season. The winningest coach in any sport at Sacramento State, Colberg will leave a legacy that already includes 805 victories, two national titles, 19 NCAA Tournament appearances, 17 conference championships, 15 coach of the year awards and a .738 winning percentage (805-286). Currently fourth among active Div. I head volleyball coaches in career victories, Colberg has coached just two losing squads during her 31-plus year tenure and her teams have averaged 25.8 wins per season. In addition, Sacramento State players have accumulated 27 All-America awards under Colberg. “This award was a complete surprise to me and I feel very honored to be mentioned as a Hall of Famer,” Colberg said. “I’ll be in some tremendous company when I’m inducted with coaches like Russ Rose and Steve Shondell.” The long coaching sojourn, which began in 1976, has taken Colberg and her Sacramento State teams through the ranks, from AIAW play (1976-80), through Div. II (1981-90) and currently Div. I (1991-pres.). She has led the Hornets to winning seasons in 15 of the 16 Div. I years and has compiled a 385-168 (.696) record over that span. That includes five straight and nine NCAA Tournament appearances over the last 10 years. The recipient of 15 coach of the year awards (one national, four regional and 10 conference), Colberg also had the added responsibility of serving as Sacramento State’s Athletics Director, a position she held from February of 1999 until June of 2002. Since the program joined the Big Sky Conference in 1996, Colberg has led the Hornets to seven regular season titles (1997-01, 2005-06) and eight conference tournament crowns (1997-98, 2000, 2002-06). In fact, the team has won the Big Sky’s regular season and/or tournament championship each of the last 10 years. For her efforts, she has been named the Big Sky Coach of the Year seven times during that span. Last year, the Hornets went 30-6 overall and 15-1 in the Big Sky, marking the program’s ninth season with at least 30 victories and 11th straight season with double figures in conference wins. No matter what division the Hornets have been a part of over the years, the team consistently has reached the NCAA Tournament. In fact, during the Div. II era (1981-90), the team had five top five finishes while reaching the Final Four in 1981, 1982, 1984 and 1989. That included a national championship in 1981 and a national runner-up finish in 1989. The 1981 championship was the second national crown in as many years for Sacramento State as the team won the AIAW Div. II national crown in 1980 (the NCAA did not sanction women's sports until 1981). Recipient of both her bachelor’s (1970) and master’s (1977) degrees from Sacramento State, Colberg was also a member of the Hornets’ inaugural volleyball, basketball and softball teams in 1965-66. Entering his 29th season as Penn State’s head coach, Rose’s teams have an overall record of 894-158 (.850 winning percentage) and he led the Nittany Lions to three straight NCAA Div. I Championship matches from 1997-99. He is currently third among active Div. I coaches in victories, one spot ahead of Colberg. Shondell has amassed 1,070 wins in 31 years at Muncie Burris Laboratory High School in Muncie, Ind. His win total ranks in the top 10 nationally in the history of high school girls’ volleyball and his teams have just 88 losses in his 31 years as head coach. His career winning percentage is .924 and his teams have won 18 Indiana State Volleyball Championships. Sacramento State is currently 6-2, and the Hornets will host the fifth annual Sacramento State Invitational this Friday-Saturday, Sept. 7-8. The Hornets will play three times over two days, including Friday against Oregon State (7:30 p.m.), and Saturday against both Manhattan (12:30 p.m.) and Cal State Northridge (7:30 p.m.). The Hornets have won Sacramento State Invitational tournament crowns in both 2004 and 2005. COLBERG’S CAREER AT SACRAMENTO STATE (Year, Overall Record, Conference Record, Notables) 1976   9-8, 5-1   3rd Golden State Conference 1977   14-15, 4-3   2nd Golden State Conference 1978   17-8, 12-2   Golden State Conference Champs 1979   26-14, 13-2   Golden State Champs/AIAW Runner-up 1980   32-4, 14-0   Golden State Champs/AIAW National Champs 1981   27-6, 14-0   Golden State Champs/NCAA Div. II National Champs 1982   29-9, 14-0   Northern California Athletic Conference Champs/Fourth, NCAA Div. II Champs 1983   30-6, 13-1   Northern California Athletic Conference co-Champs 1984   32-4, 14-0   Northern California Athletic Conference Champs/Third, NCAA Div. II Champs 1985   28-8   Lost in West Regional 1986   26-8   Lost in West Regional 1987   33-12   Lost in West Regional 1988   36-5   Lost in West Regional 1989   40-5   NCAA Div. II Runners-up 1990   41-6   Fifth in Div. II/Lost in Elite Eight First Round 1991   13-19   First year of Div. I competition 1992   21-16   National Invitational Volleyball Championship bid 1993   28-9   National Invitational Volleyball Championship bid 1994   18-12   Last season with under 20 victories 1995   35-4   National Invitational Volleyball Championship Runners-up 1996   24-11, 12-4   Big Sky Tournament Runners-up 1997   23-9, 13-3   Big Sky co-Regular Season Champs/Big Sky Tourney Champs/NCAA First Round 1998   26-9, 15-1   Big Sky Regular Season Champs/Big Sky Tourney Champs/NCAA Second Round 1999   22-10, 13-3   Big Sky Regular Season Champs/NCAA First Round 2000   21-12, 12-4   Big Sky co-Regular Season Champs/Big Sky Tourney Champs/NCAA First Round 2001   20-9, 12-2   Big Sky Regular Season Champs 2002   24-11, 11-3   Big Sky Tourney Champs/NCAA First Round 2003   23-12, 12-2   Big Sky Tourney Champs/NCAA First Round 2004   25-8, 11-3   Big Sky Tourney Champs/NCAA First Round 2005   26-9, 13-1   Big Sky Regular Season Champs/Big Sky Tourney Champs/NCAA First Round 2006   30-6, 15-1   Big Sky Regular Season Champs/Big Sky Tourney Champs/NCAA First Round 2007   6-2   Entering the third week of the season