University of the Pacific

The first NCAA National Champion in any sport at Pacific, the 1985 Pacific women's volleyball team traveled to Kalamazoo, Michigan, in December to claim a piece of history.

Head coach John Dunning began his coaching tenure at Pacific in 1985 and signed what was considered to be one of the best recruiting classes in the nation to supplement a group of seven returnees who visited the Final Four the year before. Most experts considered the season to be one of rebuilding, however, as only the three seniors—Therese Boyle, Julie Maginot, and Andrea Markel—had more than 40 collegiate matches of experience. The Tigers finished the regular season 32-3, with two losses to Cal Poly and one to Stanford. Pacific knocked off Cal Poly in three games in the regional final to advance to the Final Four. The team rallied to defeat tournament favorite UCLA in the semifinals and faced Stanford in the final. Pacific lost the first game of the championship match, 17-15, but rallied to take the next two games. The Tigers then fell behind, 11-2, in the fourth game, before Dunning sent in three substitutes who sparked Pacific with nine kills to tie the score at 11. The starters returned and polished off Stanford for Pacific's first national title.

Pacific received numerous honors in that magical 1985 season. Seniors Julie Maginot and Therese Boyle and freshman Elaina Oden received All-America recognition, while Maginot was also honored as an Academic All-American. Oden was also named the Pacific Coast Athletic Association Most Valuable Player with her then school record 547 kills. Oden and sophomore Teri McGrath would later qualify to play with the U.S. National Team. Brooke Herrington, Liz Hert, and McGrath would all play with the 1987 United States team in the World University Games. Dunning was named National Coach of the Year and assistants Mike Jones, Steve Lowe, and Perri Hankins each received head coaching positions within five years

After guiding a team with five freshmen and four sophomores to the program's first national championship in 1985, what could be done for an encore? The 1986 Pacific women's volleyball team had its own plan to bring the national championship feeling home. With the NCAA Tournament slated to be hosted in Stockton for the first time since 1982, Pacific had the opportunity to be the second team to win the national championship in front of its home crowd.

The year started auspiciously enough with an upset home loss to UC Santa Barbara in four games. However, head coach John Dunning and the team did not panic because they knew their ace in the hole, Elaina Oden, was still working out with the U.S. National Team. The patience paid off as the Tigers won 15 consecutive matches, including five-game victories over Texas and Stanford. Just when the team seemed to have regained its invincibility, the Tigers were stung twice in five games at the UCLA-National Invitational in mid-October. The two losses woke Pacific to the point that nobody felt comfortable across the net from the Tigers. Pacific reeled off 16 consecutive wins to complete the regular season and earn the top seed in the Pacific Coast Athletic Association Tournament.

In what was the top conference in the nation, led by top-10 teams Hawai'i, San Diego State, Cal Poly, and San Jose State, Pacific cruised through the tournament, dropping just two games.

With the beginning of the NCAA Tournament, a true test began for the Tigers. Every team shoots for the defending champion in hopes of gaining the emotional and psychological boost over the remaining field. The last time Pacific hosted the national championship, the Tigers were upset in the regionals and never made an appearance on their home court.

To truly appreciate the true dominance of this team, one must consider that six different Tigers led the team in kills during a match, while Pacific held its opponents to a .114 hitting percentage and accumulated more than 500 blocks.

The Tigers were again placed in the toughest regional of the four, with San Diego State and Hawai'i. Both of these teams had top-five national rankings, but they both had lost to the Tigers three times during the season. The revenge factor would definitely have to be overcome. Pacific did not just overcome these top teams, the Tigers obliterated them. Only Hawai'i could even take one game against the mighty Tigers.

Pacific then hit full speed in the Final Four celebration at the Alex G. Spanos Center. The standing room only crowd had already considered the national championship a foregone conclusion. When Pacific put away Nebraska, 15-4, in the third game to complete a six-game sweep of the Final Four, the celebration was on! The Tigers claimed a second straight National Championship and finished the season with a remarkable record of 39-3.