MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama volleyball head coach Alexis Meeks announced the addition of Patricia Gandolfo as an assistant to her coaching staff on Wednesday.

Gandolfo joins the program after spending the previous eight-plus years at West Florida as an assistant coach, specializing in work with the frontline and middle hitters, as well as Director of UWF Volleyball Camps. Gandolfo also has four years of coaching experience in Junior Olympic volleyball. She was an American Volleyball Coaches Association Thirty Under 30 recipient in 2017

"I have known Pati for four years now and just as it was important to me to hire someone I trusted when hiring Rob, it was the same in hiring Pati. She comes from a very successful program at West Florida and worked under Melissa Wolter, who is a dear friend, a great coach and someone I trusted throughout this hiring process. When I first met Pati we instantly connected. It isn't hard to connect to her. She values relationships and has an understanding of what people need. 

"The relationship that she had with Melissa and the relationship that she had with her players at West Florida is also what we need here. She is going to connect with our girls on a level that will help bring out the best in each of our individual players. She is also an outstanding recruiter and excels at training blocking and the middle blocker position, which is the addition to our staff that I needed. She brings a positive and enlightening energy every day which makes me a better coach and person. I am so thankful and blessed to have her on staff."

Gandolfo was an All-American in 2009 at West Florida, where she lettered for two seasons from 2008-09 and helped the Argonauts to a 20-2 conference record in two years en route to Gulf South Conference All-Decade Team honors. Gandolfo earned her bachelor's degree in communication in 2011, and a master's degree in exercise science and community health in 2018. 

She also lettered two seasons in junior college at Missouri State – West Plains from 2006-07, earning National Junior College Athletic Association and AVCA First-Team All-America honors in 2006, and NJCAA and AVCA Second-Team All-America accolades in 2007. Gandolfo was inducted into the MSU-WP Hall of Fame in 2017.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with USAJaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at Twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the South Circle, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics. Contributions to South Circle directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/give.