On Feb. 27, San Francisco State University’s athletics department unveiled two new banners commemorating the volleyball team’s historic 2024 season. The Gators won the Division II NCAA West Regional and finished as runner-up at the national championship against Lynn University. The Gators received a banner for each accolade.
Senior setter Kimberly DeBoer, who played for the Gators for four seasons, knew this group of players was going to be “special.” A team culture based on family and communication was created, which helped raise two banners to celebrate their season.
“Being able to put something physically up that represents what we’ve done this season is so special,” DeBoer said. “I think it perfectly represents the group of girls that we have. We deserve something special, and the girls have worked hard, and our communities worked hard to support us through that.”
For senior outside hitter Izzy Issak, the win still hasn’t been fully processed yet. A historic season isn’t something a player thinks will be historic when they’re in it. For Issak, the season was about being in the moment with your teammates and focusing on winning volleyball games.
“Once the season was over, we understood the magnitude,” Issak said. “Now it’s growing, like with a banner ceremony. It’s something that is so cool to be a part of. Something that I am going to remember forever.”
Issak said it is hard to understand the conditions they have gone through to get to this point. They have achieved a historic milestone despite the financial tensions surrounding California State University athletics.
“If you put resources into women’s sports, into women’s athletics, you give these athletes who are such a passion to be here,” Issak said. “As many resources you can possibly give them, they’re going to exceed all expectations.”
Head coach Matt Hoffman entered his ninth season at SFSU in 2024. He said that as a competitor, you want to “leave your mark a little bit” when competing at different places. Learning that two new banners would rise was a joy for Hoffman.
“A banner going up in the gym, those things that won’t go away,” Hoffman said. “They’ll be there forever. Especially for the girls that know they’re putting up something that will last way beyond when they’re here.”
If a Gators sports program wins the Collegiate Conference Athletic Association, they get their year stitched onto the pre-existing banner corresponding to their program.
The 2024 Gators volleyball team is among the most successful in school history, according to Brandon Davis, the interim athletics director. Davis said they are the first Gators program to reach the national championship since the wrestling team won in 1997. The volleyball team is also the first program to win an NCAA regional tournament.
Despite Hoffman’s optimism about the season, he did not expect the team to get as far as they did. This Gators team was the first to win an NCAA tournament game, and they went on to win three more games during their postseason run.
“The NCAA Tournament starts with 64 teams,” said Hoffman. “Then all of a sudden, there’s just two of us left, so that was pretty cool.”
The Gators’ groundbreaking 2024 season ended with a 26-7 record, including 15-3 in conference play.
The Gators started postseason play as the no. 2 seed in the CCAA Tournament. They lost their first game to the eventual 2024 CCAA Volleyball Champions, Cal State Stanislaus, 3-1, ending their tournament early.
After an early exit, the Gators were given a bid to the NCAA Tournament as the no. 2 seed in the NCAA West Regional Tournament. As the no. 2 seed, the Gators faced the Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles, Chaminade University Silverswords and Cal Poly Pomona Broncos.
Leading to the West Regional finals against their CCAA competitor, the no. 1 seed Broncos, the Gators dropped the previous two matchups against them during regular season play. One game away from the national championship bracket, the Gators beat the Broncos in a swift 3-0 match and punched their ticket to Sioux Falls.
As the no. 7 seed in the eight-team national championship bracket, the Gators faced the no. 2 seed University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos and the no. 3 seed Angelo State University Rams before they met the no. 4 seed Lynn University Fighting Knights in the final championship game on Dec. 14, 2024.
The Fighting Knights and Gators played a thrilling five-set match. The Fighting Knights came out on top 3-2, with the last set being the closest score of the five (15-13). The Gators finished as runner-ups and concluded their historic 2024 season.
The team had collective superstars carrying the load. Players like DeBoer received American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American Second Team honors for the first time in program history. DeBoer received AVCA West Region First Team Honors and All-CCAA First Team honors. In addition, DeBoer won the CCAA Setter of the Year award for a third straight season.
Four more program players received All-CCAA honors. In addition to DeBoer, junior right side hitter Tamiya Wilson and Issak received All-CCAA First Team honors. Both received AVCA West Region First Team Honors and honorable mentions for AVAC All-American Honors.
A pair of sophomores rounded out the All-CCAA honors for the Gators. Sophomore middle blocker Anastacia Garza received All-CCAA Second Team Honors, and sophomore outside hitter Aidan Goodrich received an All-CCAA Honorable Mention.
Wilson plans to bring the memorable experience from this season to next season. With most starters from the previous season not returning, Wilson wants to bring the same energy the seniors did.
“I’m just gonna try to keep it going throughout the spring,” Wilson said. “We’re putting in more work now so that in the fall, when we are in season again, we can start strong.”
