COLBERG NAMED BIG SKY COACH OF THE YEAR FOR THE EIGHTH TIME 11/28/2007 SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Sacramento State head coach Debby Colberg added to an already impressive list of honors and awards when she was named the Big Sky Conference Volleyball Coach of the Year for the eighth time in the last 11 years, it was announced today by the league office. Colberg, who will retire at the end of this season, also earned the award in 1997-98 and 2000-04. This year, she led Sacramento State to a 28-7 overall record, a 13-3 mark in the conference, and the Big Sky Tournament championship last weekend. The Hornets will be making their 10th NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 11 years on Friday when the team travels to Stanford, Calif., to take on Minnesota in the first round. In her 32nd season at Sacramento State, Colberg has 827 career victories and has led the team to two national titles, 20 NCAA Tournament appearances and 18 conference championships. She has now received 16 coach of the year awards (one national, four regional and 11 conference) during her 32-year tenure, and her 827 victories are the fourth most among active Div. I head volleyball coaches. In addition, she will be inducted into the American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame next month. The winningest coach in any sport in Sacramento State history, Colberg has coached just two losing squads during her 32-year tenure and her teams have averaged nearly 26 wins per season. That includes 13 straight years with at least 20 victories, and the Hornets have now won either the Big Sky’s regular season and/or tournament championship 11 straight years. Among those are eight regular season titles (1997-01, 2005-07) and nine conference tournament crowns (1997-98, 2000, 2002-07). The Hornets joined the conference in 1996. She has led the Hornets to winning seasons in 16 of the program’s 17 Div. I years (1991-pres.) and has compiled a 407-173 (.702) record over that span. That includes five straight and nine NCAA Tournament appearances over the last 10 years. 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.