TAMPA, Fla., October 3, 2024 – Since joining the USF volleyball program this summer as the volunteer director of operations, Kelly Dreyfuss has impressed everyone with her organizational ability. Road trips run perfectly. Everything is in place. Answers emerge before questions are asked.
 
"She's super organized and super responsible,'' head coach Jolene Shepardson said. "I feel like an absolutely wonderful angel has entered my life.''
 
Through meticulous preparation, Dreyfuss said she customarily feels in control, whether it was during her three decades as a high-school volleyball coach, her current remote cybersecurity civil-servant position with NASA, or her newfound tasks at USF that keep her involved in the sport she loves.
 
But nothing could have prepared her for that day in June 2020 when a doctor uttered four chilling words:
 
"You have breast cancer.''
 
"When you hear that word — 'cancer' — a lot of women might drop into depression, but mine lasted for about five minutes,'' Dreyfuss said. "I processed what the doctor said. I looked at my husband (Chris) and said, 'It's going to be OK.' Then I looked at the doctor and said, 'What are the next steps?' Just like that.''
 
Dreyfuss said she was fortunate. Two months after the initial diagnosis, she learned that the cancer was expansive in her left breast, which she had removed before there was any spread. Months later, as a precaution, she had the other breast removed. She has been consistently clean through all of her bi-annual examinations.
 
"Many people aren't as lucky,'' Dreyfuss said. "My last high-school coaching job, we had the mother of an athlete die from breast cancer during our season. It touches not only women but men. It's something we all must be aware of. So we need to continue to shine the light.''
 
When USF hosts the Memphis Tigers in Sunday afternoon's American Athletic Conference match at the Corral, it's the annual "Breast Cancer Awareness'' event. Dreyfuss will be introduced and her story told. For that, she is eternally grateful.
 
"I have been with this USF program for a month and they want to recognize me, so I am honored,'' Dreyfuss said. "Breast Cancer Awareness means more to me now because I went through it and I want to share my story with people and show them it's a survivable disease.
 
"I feel like a different person now. When you're confronted with something like cancer, it can't help but change you. I'm so appreciative of my health. I want people to be vigilant. Get mammograms at 35 or, if you have breast cancer in your family, go earlier than that. Take care of yourself and stay on top of it.''
 
Dreyfuss first met Shepardson, then a Virginia Tech assistant coach, at the 2010 American Volleyball Coaches Association convention. They became fast friends and stayed in touch. Dreyfuss had been living in Virginia but moved to Tampa to be closer to family after her NASA job was shifted to the Kennedy Space Center.
 
When Dreyfuss asked Shepardson if she could get involved with USF's program — "I would've taken tickets at the door, anything to work with a Division I program,'' she said — the timing worked perfectly. Due to an unexpected staff departure, Shepardson needed a director of operations/chief of staff.
 
Dreyfuss had worked at Shepardson's summer camp, meeting some USF players along the way. It was a super-favorable first impression. When Dreyfuss was introduced as a permanent staff member, there were cheers, hugs, and tears of joy from the Bulls.
 
"We bonded with her instantly when we met her, so we're so grateful to have Kelly with our program,'' setter Caroline Dykes said. "Her energy and presence just uplift us.''

 "Even beyond how super organized she is, and how much security we get from that, she's just a light in this world,'' outside hitter Jalynn Brown said. "If you need a hug, she'll hug you. If you need advice, she has it. She's one of those amazing people you come across who make a difference. She's special.''
 
It takes a special person to work a high-level NASA job during the day, then shift to the details of volleyball administration — all because she loves her sport and she loves people.
 
"I'm a problem-solver,'' said Dreyfuss, 52, who grew up in Hawaii. "Getting to a solution, and making things run smoothly, those things motivate me. I guess you could say I'm pretty goal-oriented and pretty determined.''
 
With the right mindset, the most formidable of obstacles can resemble speed bumps — even the scary specter of breast cancer.
 
"I have led a beautiful life in so many ways, including the ability to have a flexible job at NASA that allows me to do volleyball and fulfill my passion,'' Dreyfuss said. "I get the best of both worlds.
 
"When you're put into survival mode through something like breast cancer — and I was lucky that my situation was solved relatively quickly — it makes you appreciate everything you have. So many things you always stressed about seem so mundane. I want to help however I can with people going through this. The biggest thing is awareness, self-examinations, and just being vigilant. And even though I'm viewed as a strong person and a strong personality, you don't do this alone. There's a village of people who can help and you need to rely on that.''
 
Shepardson said Dreyfuss — and all other breast cancer survivors — are inspirations.
 
"In volleyball, our sport is always about continuing to fight and never giving up,'' Shepardson said. "People like Kelly bring that home every day. The world is better for people like that, including the people who are courageously fighting that fight every single day.''
 
South Florida will travel to Temple (6-8, 0-2 AAC) for its first conference road test on Friday at 6 p.m. On Sunday, the Bulls will return home for the annual Breast Cancer Awareness match against Memphis (7-7, 1-1 AAC). The match is set for 2 p.m.
 
About USF Volleyball
Head coach Jolene Shepardson enters her fifth season at the helm of her alma mater in 2024. Named head coach on Jan. 8, 2020, Shepardson led the Bulls' program to its last conference championship and NCAA tournament appearance as a student-athlete in 2002. Earning the AAC East Division title in 2023, South Florida made a postseason appearance in the NIVC, winning three games and advancing to the Fab Four to mark the longest postseason run in program history. South Florida Volleyball has made seven NCAA Tournament appearances and won 12 conference titles since its inception in 1972. The Bulls play in The Corral (1,000), located adjacent to the Yuengling Center on the USF campus.
 
Be sure to follow USF women's volleyball on social media (Twitter/Instagram/Facebook) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.