Megan Irvine
Nearly a quarter of a century after her final volleyball match at Duke University, Megan Irvine of Wasilla remains one of the greatest players in school history.
The outstanding outside hitter twice earned All-ACC honors for the Blue Devils from 1995 to 1998 and established herself as a dominant force at the net.
Irvine, of Colony High fame, left Duke ranked in the top-10 all-time in kills (1,113), blocks (391) and points scored (1,463) in 404 career sets.
Her 13 blocks against LSU in 1995 are tied for the third-most in a match in school history.
She ranks fourth with 118 solo blocks, with her 37 stuffs in 1995 and 36 in 1996 still among the top-10 season totals in school history.
The 6-foot playmaker was equally as effective on offense, hammering home a career-best 324 kills in 1997 and 296 in 1996. Irvine also played the back row and collected 885 digs and 86 aces in her career.
The sad thing is Duke was never very good when she was there, with the Blue Devils posting just 44 wins in 108 matches. Her only winning season came in 1996 when the team went 15-12.
Nevertheless, Irvine played like a champion.
In high school, she was twice named all-state and led the Colony Knights to the 1995 Class 4A state championship match.
Irvine was picked in 1999 by Sports Illustrated as one of Alaska’s 50 greatest sports figures of the 20th century.
Friday Flashback is a series created by Alaska Sports Report editor Van Williams that looks back on great Alaska athletes from the past. To read about other Alaskans featured in this series, click here.