Feb. 5, 2001

Los Angeles, Calif. -- USC women's volleyball head coach Mick Haley, who this fall will begin his first full season at the helm of the Women of Troy program, announced today that Jerritt Elliott and Paula Weishoff will return as assistant coaches for the upcoming 2001 season. Former assistant coach Erikka Gulbransson will serve as the program's director of operations.

In 2000, USC made its first NCAA Final Four appearance in 20 years and won its first-ever share of the Pac-10 title. The Women of Troy finished the season with a No. 4 national ranking (AVCA and Volleyball magazine) and a 29-3 overall record. Under the leadership of Elliott, who spent the last two seasons as USC's interim head coach, the Trojans featured two All-Americans (April Ross and Jennifer Pahl) and six all-conference players, including the Pac-10 and Region Freshman of the Year (Ross).

After spending four years at USC as an assistant coach (1995-98), Elliott accepted the interim position in 1999 in the absence of Haley, who served as the U.S.A. women's national team coach through the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Elliott was honored twice as the Pac-10 Coach of the Year (1999, 2000) and was the 2000 Pacific Region Coach of the Year.

In the upcoming season, Elliott's role as an assistant coach will be expanded. He will serve as the program's director of recruiting and will be relied on to take a major role in the development of the offense.

Weishoff, a former All-American at USC and the MVP of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, first joined the coaching staff in 1997. Erikka Gulbransson came to USC in 1999 after serving a one-year stint as an assistant coach at Utah State.

"The whole concept from the start was to build on the current program and its successes," said Haley. "What Jerritt and Paula have accomplished over the last two years has been outstanding and we hope to continue building on those accomplishments. This is an extremely talented staff and I'm very proud to have them. Together we look to restore the luster and tradition of what USC women's volleyball has always represented."

In 2001, the Women of Troy return four starters and welcome a recruiting class that for the second year in a row has been regarded as No. 1 in the nation.