Paul MacDonald, 36, is entering his fourth year as the head coach for the Francis Marion University women's volleyball program.

He owns an 111-87 career coaching mark in six seasons, including a 62-38 record in his three years at Francis Marion.  In three seasons, his Patriot teams have produced six All-Conference selections.

This past year (2008), MacDonald earned Peach Belt Conference "Coach of the Year" honors while guiding the Patriots to a 23-9 record and the program's third-ever NCAA Division II National Tournament invitation.  FMU placed second during the PBC regular-season and advanced to the title match of the PBC Tournament.

In 2007, FMU was 13-21 and placed fourth during the Peach Belt regular season.  In a very successful first campaign (2006), MacDonald guided the Patriots to a 26-8 record and a share of the Peach Belt Conference regular-season championship.

MacDonald came to FMU from Mount Mercy College, an NAIA school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In three seasons directing the Mustang program, he compiled a 49-49 record, including a 25-11 mark in 2005 - the team's best record in more than a decade. Utilizing a roster that did not include any seniors, he also guided Mount Mercy to a second-place finish in the Midwest Classic Conference with a 6-1 record and to a spot in the NAIA Region VII Tournament for the first time since 2002. For that effort, he received conference "Coach of the Year" honors.

A native of Flat Rock, Mich., a suburb of Detroit, MacDonald earned a B.A. degree in business from Michigan State University and an M.Ed. degree in physical education from Wayne State University.  He earned CAP I certification through the USA Volleyball Coaches' Accreditation Program in 2007.

Prior to accepting the position at Mount Mercy, he was an assistant coach at Division II Wayne State for the 2002 season, an assistant coach at Macomb County Community College for the 2001 campaign, and was an assistant and interim head coach during the 1999 season at Division I Oakland University.

MacDonald spent five years (2004-2008) with the USA National Olympic Development Program. He has five years of experience coaching at the high school level - including winning a district championship at Regina High School in Harper Woods, Mich. - and seven years of experience coaching at the Junior Olympics and club level. His Junior Olympic squads placed first in the state of Michigan in 1998 and third in 2002.

He is a member of the United States Volleyball Association and the American Volleyball Coaches Association.  He has worked camps at the universities of Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin; Michigan State University; Purdue University; Eastern Michigan University; Mount Mercy; and at high schools in Michigan.  He was a coach for the 2006 USA High Performance A2 Camp in Charlotte, N.C., the 2007 USA High Performance A2 Camp in Davidson, N.C., and the 2008 USA High Performance A2 Camp in Baltimore, Md.

He now directs the FMU Patriot Volleyball Summer Camp programs and the Florence Juniors Volleyball Club.

MacDonald is the 13th head coach in the 36-year history of the Francis Marion program. The program boasts a .564 winning percentage (702-543 all-time record).

Sarah Lane begins her second season as an assistant coach for the Patriot volleyball program.

Her primary coaching responsibilities include recruiting, on-court coaching, individual player workouts, pre- and post-season workouts, and helping in the area of academic support for team members.

Lane, a native of Gainesville, Ga., was a four-year letterwinner at Piedmont College where she earned a B.A. degree in business administration in 2008.  She was twice named to the Great South Athletic Conference All-Conference Team, was a three-time Academic All-Conference honoree, and also gained NCCAA All-South Region recognition.  As team captain in 2007, she helped maintain the locker room facility and prepared game uniforms and equipment for home and away matches.

On the court, she helped the Lions to a four-year mark of 86-58, while registering career totals of 1,153 kills and 400 total blocks and an attack percentage of .238.

She also played four seasons on the Piedmont basketball team, and helped the Lions to a pair of NCAA Division III National Tournament appearances.

Lane served on the Piedmont Campus Activities Board and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.