Four weeks ago, Arizona's men's basketball team upset three top seeds on its way to a stunning national championship. This past weekend, Duke's men's club volleyball team played on the Wildcats' home court and turned in an even more remarkable performance.
Playing in the Division II NIRSA National Tournament, the Blue Devils ignored their 37th seed in a 48-team field and rolled to nine wins and the team's first national crown. Incredibly, this was also the team's first time participating in the tournament.
"We were just hoping to win a few matches," sophomore Justin Dobbie said. "We definitely didn't expect to do so well. We pretty much played out of our minds."
Duke's initial struggle was just to qualify for the main draw, as over 100 teams were competing for 48 spots. The Blue Devils beat Vancouver and Northeastern on the first day of play and advanced to Friday's draw despite a three-game loss to Wisconsin.
The loss to the Badgers turned out to be Duke's only loss of the weekend.
On Friday, the Blue Devils topped Wyoming in three sets and needed only two to dispense of second-seeded Lee College. The victory over Lee vaulted Duke into Saturday's final round of 16.
With only 16 teams left, the Blue Devils met their toughest challenge in Saturday's first match. Wisconsin, who had beaten Duke just two days earlier, jumped out early in the first game, winning 15-3. The Badgers took a 14-9 lead in the second game, and appeared to have the match wrapped up.
"That was the only time it looked like we were finished," Duke coach Oleg Moiseenko said.
But the Blue Devils responded, running off the next seven points and taking the game 16-14. They then won the match in the third set, 15-13.
From there, Duke topped Rice and Dartmouth in three sets in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively setting up a championship showdown with Augustana College. Augustana hails from the talent-rich Chicago area.
The final match was close, but the Blue Devils proved too much. Duke won 15-10, 15-12 to take the title.
"I thought it was possible, and even probable, because I knew the guys had been playing better and better as we went along," Moiseenko said. "We have a developmental philosophy of getting better with each match. We were comfortable being in tough situations, and I think that really helped us."
This was Moiseenko's first year with the Blue Devils, though he's spent the past 20 years coaching as high as the international level. He teaches calculus at the North Carolina School of Math and Sciences in addition to coaching Duke. The discipline he brought helped turn the club program around.
"The club had very little structure before this year," Moiseenko said. "Having a little coaching and knowing who had to do what made a difference."
Duke placed four of its players on the All-Tournament team. Dobbie joined sophomore Grant Sisler and juniors Rob Judge and James Conger. Conger and Judge both played high school volleyball together in Hawaii.
As the Blue Devils look ahead toward next year, they feel confident in their ability to move into Division I Club and remain competitive. Duke returns all six starters, and Moiseenko believes the Blue Devils could repeat this year's success next season. The players agree.
"It made a complete difference being led by an experienced coach," Dobbie said. "We went from being a student-run team to an organized team. As far as our future, we're returning all six of our starters, and we know we can compete with any club team in the country."
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