Mandy Bible, a two-sport standout at San Marcos High from 1999-2003, is receiving the ultimate athletic honor at her college alma mater, Saint Mary’s, where she holds several school records in volleyball.
Bible will be the first Saint Mary’s volleyball player to have her jersey retired. Her No. 5 jersey will be hung from the rafters inside the UCU Pavilion at St. Mary’s during a ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 26 before the Gaels’ West Coast Conference match against University of San Diego.
“I am extremely proud of this honor, because it belongs to the entire Saint Mary’s volleyball family,” Bible told Saint Mary’s Sports Information. “Having a volleyball jersey on the wall shows how far this program has come and where it can go. This jersey dedication goes out to all the strong women I shared the court with. Whether it’s the Gaels who came before me, with me, or after, this moment belongs to all of them.”
Bible joins women’s basketball great Anja Bordt and men’s basketball players Matthew Dellavedova, Patty Mills, Tom Meschery and Jock Landale as St. Mary’s athletes to have their numbers retired.
“Mandy’s time at Saint Mary’s is a source of great pride for me and for Saint Mary’s Volleyball,” said program coach Rob Browning. “She is arguably the best player to ever don a jersey here, and one of the best assistant coaches I’ve ever had—and in many ways she has been the very best.”
Bible played at Saint Mary’s from 2003–06 and holds numerous records, including most assists in a single season, best assists per set average in a single season, most career assists, best career assist per set average, and most career service aces. She led the Gaels to three straight NCAA Tournament berths, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2004. She was the program’s first three-time All-WCC honoree, is a member of the Saint Mary’s Athletics Hall of Fame, and is the only Gaels women’s volleyball player in the WCC Hall of Honor.
At San Marcos, Bible played for legendary coach Jon Lee. She was a freshman setter on the 1999 Royals team that beat Mater Dei for a CIF-SS Division 1A Championship. She was a four-time Channel League first-team selection in volleyball and basketball and earned All-CIF honors in both sports.
She has been inducted into the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table and San Marcos Athletics Halls of Fame.
Browning said Bible’s contributions to Saint Mary’s volleyball go well beyond the court.
“Everything that Saint Mary’s volleyball stands for, and everything that Saint Mary’s College represents, is embodied by Mandy and what she’s given the College and SMCVB — from player to staff to assistant coach.
“She has been an enormous blessing to me and my family, an outstanding student-athlete, an inspiration to her teammates, and an ideal role model for the student-athletes she has led here. It is perfectly appropriate that her jersey and name will hang from the rafters of UCU Pavilion for decades to come, but Mandy’s legacy extends far beyond the jersey.”
