Duke’s Club Pickleball Team: Duke’s club pickleball team faced a daunting challenge at the start of the DUPR Collegiate Virginia Beach Super Regional. After falling behind in the first five rounds of play, the team’s chances of advancing to the quarterfinals seemed slim. With nationals out of sight, two of Duke’s top players left Virginia, where the team had been competing all day.
However, a twist of fate came on Sept. 28, when the tournament manager announced that additional spots for nationals were now available because four teams had already secured their bids earlier that year. This unexpected turn gave Duke an unforeseen opportunity to grab one of the remaining spots.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said freshman Mark DeMonte. “We didn’t expect to play again, especially not with a bid on the table.”
Team Rebuilt, Hope Restored
With their hopes revived, Duke’s club pickleball team quickly restructured, bringing in newcomers Lauren Mock and Jack Pestana to join the top team, Duke 1. The fresh lineup went 2-2 in their matchups, setting up a must-win scenario in the dreambreaker round. This tiebreaker format pits teams against each other in a series of singles matches until one team reaches 21 points, winning by two.
With Duke just one point away from securing a spot at nationals, Mock faced Randolf-Macon’s best player in a pivotal moment. After a powerful serve, Mock delivered the game-winning shot, just inside the line.
“I didn’t even process what had happened until my teammates started cheering and ran onto the court,” Mock recalled. “It was a fantastic moment, and I’m so glad to be a part of it!”
From PE Class to Nationals
Duke’s journey into club pickleball began almost three years ago when professor Janis Hampton noticed the sport’s growing popularity among students. During the spring of 2021, she scouted her P.E. tennis class and the East Campus courts, gathering enough interest to officially launch the club in the 2022 spring semester. While Duke has hundreds of student organizations, Hampton’s pickleball team has a unique distinction.
“There is no NCAA-certified version of this sport yet,” said Katherine Ciro, the club’s vice president. “So we are essentially the representation of Duke University in the national collegiate pickleball scene.”
A Moment of Triumph
On Sept. 27, 12 team members traveled to the Super Regional, where Duke 1 competed in the Top 16 bracket. With a chance at a $1,000 scholarship and one of four available bids for the national championship in Dallas, the stakes were high. The top four teams would secure bids, provided they hadn’t already qualified.
Having not yet earned a bid for the season, Duke’s team was limited to just one shot at making nationals. Despite a rocky start, the team’s performance in the dreambreaker round shifted the momentum, proving how far they had come in the sport of pickleball.
“In that moment, I saw the joy, pride, and excitement for the future of our team,” Ciro said. “We had worked so hard, and in that single point, it felt like we had achieved something truly special together. It wasn’t just a win, it was the realization of our shared goal.”
News in Brief: Duke’s Club Pickleball Team
Duke’s club pickleball team made a remarkable comeback at the DUPR Collegiate Virginia Beach Super Regional, securing a spot in the national championship. After a strong performance in a must-win dreambreaker round, where Lauren Mock clinched the final point, Duke earned one of four available bids for nationals. The team’s journey highlights their evolution from an intramural sport in P.E. class to becoming a competitive force in collegiate pickleball.