Green Wave look for solid finish down the stretch and earn a spot in the postseason championship tournament
Mandelbaum's Career Honors
Year
Honor/Award
2010
Terrapin Classic All-Tournament Team
Sophomore (2011): Appeared in and started 25 matches during the season and played 97 sets, missing the final five matches of the season due to injury ... led the team in assists (615) as a part of the two-setter system...was second on the squad in digs (227) and fourth in service aces (17)...was tenth in Conference USA in assists per-set (6.34)...had 24 double-digit assist matches and 11 double-digit dig matches...had 11 double-doubles (assist/digs)...topped the 20-assist mark 18 times, which included two 30-plus, two 40-plus and one 50-plus assist matches...had 22 assists and seven digs versus Idaho State (8/26) at the Tiger Invitational...added five service aces to 16 assists and four digs versus Binghamton (9/27) to close out the Tiger Invitational...had 28 assists and ten digs versus San Diego State (9/2) to open the Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Classic...boasted 34 assists and 17 digs at FIU (9/9)...had 25 assists and 14 digs versus Belmont (9/16) to open the Kathy Trosclair Memorial...added 28 assists versus Lamar (9/17) and 24 assists and 17 digs versus South Alabama (9/17) to close out the KTM...had 33 assists versus UAB (9/30)...boasted three consecutive double-doubles at SMU (10/8-9) with 27 assists and 13 digs in the first match and 22 assists and ten digs in the second match to go along with 20 assists and ten digs versus Marshall (10/14)...had 26 assists versus East Carolina (10/16) and 22 against Southern Miss (10/19)...had 44 assists, 13 digs and four kills against UTEP (10/23)...handed out 53 assists and added six digs and two kills at East Carolina (10/28)...had 21 digs and 42 assists to go along with four kills at Marshall (10/30)...posted back-to-back double-doubles versus Tulsa (11/5-6) with 25 assists and 13 digs in the first meeting and 24 assists and 13 digs in the second meeting...was a Tulane 3.0 Club and Conference USA Commissioner Honor Roll Selection.
Freshman (2010): Started all 32 matches during the season and played all 113 sets...ranked tenth in Conference USA in assists per-set (8.68) and was 18th in service aces per-set (0.21)...led the team in assists (979) and service aces (24)...ranked second on the squad in digs (272)...her assists total of 979 ranks tenth on the single season charts at Tulane...posted double-digit assists in all 32 matches...posted nine double-doubles during the season...handed out 11 assists in her collegiate debut versus#4 Stanford (8/27) at the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic...grabbed her first career double-double in her second career match at New Mexico (8/28) with 17 assists and ten digs...posted 45 assists, eight digs and two blocks - one solo - versus Purdue (9/4) at the Pitt Invitational...grabbed 30-plus assists and three kills in all three matches at the Terrapin Invitational to earn All-Tournament honors...posted 36 assists and 12 digs in the tournament opener versus Fairfield (9/10), added 34 helpers and 14 digs versus Penn (9/11) and had 42 assists and nine digs at Maryland (9/11) in the tournament finale...had 46 assists in the finale of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Classic versus FIU (9/18)...grabbed a double-double in the Conference USA opener versus Houston (9/25) with 38 assists and 11 digs...posted a career-high 65 assists and 25 digs in a five-set loss to SMU (10/1)...grabbed a double-double with 26 assists and 11 digs at Tulsa (10/3)...handed out 42 helpers against UTEP (10/15) and 56 versus UCF (10/17) in a Conference USA homestand...posted a career-high four kills and added 11 assists for a double-double versus the Knights (10/17) in the five-set loss...collected a double-double with 22 assists and 20 digs at Southern Miss (10/20)...had two kills, 33 assists and eight digs versus Marshall (10/23)...had 27 assists and nine digs versus Memphis (11/12)...grabbed her final double-double of the season at Marshall (11/19) with 22 assists and ten digs...closed the season with 21 assists and five digs versus Southern Miss (11/27) in a three-set win.
About Mel Mandelbaum
Prep: Lettered all four years at Clovis West High School for coach Rhonda DeRuiter...selected as team captain and MVP during her junior and senior seasons...earned All-American honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association and Prep Volleyball...was an All-State selection as a senior season when she led the state of California (all divisions) with 1,201 assists...named First Team All-Tri-River Athletic Conference as a junior and senior...earned Second Team All-TRAC during her freshman and sophomore seasons...was an All-City selection all four seasons at CWHS...earned First Team All-District 33-11 her final two seasons on campus and was a second team pick as a sophomore...was chosen as the California Interscholastic Federation Central Section Player of the Year as a senior...was a Division I First Team All-Region pick as a junior and senior...helped CWHS to the first CIF Division I Central Section Championship in 2008 and repeated the feat in 2009...holds the school record for career assists (3,878) and digs (917)...owns the single season assists mark (1,201) for the Golden Eagles...also lettered once in basketball and four times in badminton...helped her team to the TRAC title twice and the CIF Central Section crown once...played her club volleyball for Central Cal...off the court, earned Scholar-Athlete honors during all eight semesters...named to the High honor Roll four times.
Personal: Born Melody Ellen Mandelbaum on August 7, 1992...daughter of Phil Mandelbaum and Leisa Donley...has one brother, Ian Wilson, and two sisters, Mariah Mandelbaum and Nicole Wilson...sister Mariah has won three NAIA National Championships at Fresno Pacific College...plans to major in Business while at Tulane.