When hearing the names of prestigious schools known for athletics like Penn State, Illinois, Virginia Tech and UCLA among others, it comes as a surprise when the name University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh is mentioned among them.
However, that is exactly what the Titans men's volleyball club team has been able to accomplish over the last seven years, claiming national titles in 2006 and 2007.
While the Titans are loaded with talent, one player in particular has served as an unsung leader and voice for the team over the last three years.
His name is Dan Ruys, a 6'4" junior middle blocker from the town of Kimberly.
Although his team never made it past sectionals, Ruys still received attention for his volleyball skills and was named to the all-state team as a senior
Oshkosh head coach Brian Schaefer actively recruited Ruys, sending vast amounts of information and notes about the team with surprisingly, no response.
While this perplexed Schaefer, there was no doubt in Ruys' mind where he was going to attend school. Oshkosh satisfied both his academic and athletic needs.
"I knew that Oshkosh had the best program in the nation in terms of club volleyball, so it just made sense," Ruys said. "They had a good business program, a good volleyball program; it was an easy fit."
Schaefer said he was pretty excited when he found out Ruys had made the decision and knew right away he could use him in his plans.
"He never really got any big accolades in high school, but we knew he was really athletic and strong in the middle," Schaefer said. "When you get a kid like that to come to your program with good players around him, great things naturally come out of it."
From the moment Ruys stepped on campus, Schaefer made him a starter on the Division I squad and has been ever since.
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