HAMPTON, Va. – Brandon Duvall, who is no stranger to the MEAC or to southeastern Virginia, has been named as the next head coach of the Hampton University volleyball program, the Department of Athletics announced on Tuesday.
Duvall had spent the past six seasons at the helm at Norfolk State.
“We’re happy to have a coach with experience, not just at the Div. I level, but at the high school level, collegiately, at the international level,” Director of Athletics Eugene Marshall Jr. said. “He has a great relationship with club coaches throughout the 757, and we think Brandon is the perfect fit for what we need to rebuild this program moving forward.”
“I am excited to have Brandon on board as our new volleyball coach,” University President Dr. William R. Harvey said. “I believe he has the talent and the experience that will help him rebuild this program and begin contending for championships again.”
Duvall’s first four seasons as head coach at Norfolk State coincided with the program’s best four-year stretch in its Div. I history. All three of Norfolk State’s winning seasons in its 18 years at the Div. I level came under Duvall, with 2012 being the most successful.
The Spartans won 14 matches in 2012, including nine in conference play, before defeating North Carolina Central in the quarterfinals of the MEAC Tournament for the program’s first tournament win since 1999. Norfolk State nearly advanced to the championship match that season, falling to Florida A&M in a five-set thriller.
With 13 wins in 2010, his first season, and 11 wins in 2013, Duvall holds the three winningest seasons in Norfolk State Div. I history. His teams finished above .500 in conference play in both of those seasons – going 5-3 in 2010 and 7-5 in 2013.
Duvall was named MEAC Coach of the Year in 2010.
He also spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons as an assistant coach with Norfolk State.
Duvall also served as an assistant coach at Div. III Virginia Wesleyan College in 2006, helping the Marlins go 19-9 and finish third in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Tournament.
From 2003-06, Duvall was the assistant boys volleyball coach at Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, Va. He helped the Wildcats to the 2004 and 2005 Southeastern District regular-season titles. He also had assistant coach stints with the girl’s teams at Ocean Lakes High School (1998) and Tallwood High School (2002), and served as the girl’s head coach at Ocean Lakes in 1999.
Duvall also boasts an impressive resume as a club coach; in 2011, he led the Coastal Virginia U-16 team to the national title in a field of 175 teams at the 38th AAU Girls Junior National Championships in Orlando, Fla. His team went 14-0 during the four-day tournament, losing just one set.
Duvall’s team was the first Virginia squad to win an AAU national championship.
In 2014, Duvall coached the Coastal Virginia U-17 team to a ninth-place finish at the AAU Open Nationals. He has also assisted the nationally ranked girls’ U-18 team since 2003 and was the head coach of the U-15 girls’ team from 2006-07.
He also worked with the Tidewater Volleyball Club from 2001-03, assisting with the girls’ U-18 team and leading the U-15 team.