Josh Tublin was a powerful force when he played on the Fox Chapel Area High School Volleyball Team and scooped up more than his share of trophies before graduating in 2013. But he says the most thrilling accomplishment in his career so far occurred May 7, 2016, at Penn State University when he and his teammates on the Ohio State Men’s Volleyball Team won the NCAA Division I national championship.
It was an epic night for the redshirted sophomore who had worked his way up the ladder to play in 75 percent of the games during the Buckeye’s 31-1 record-breaking season. “I remember thinking, ‘We finally got it!’ It was definitely a great feeling,” Josh says.
You don’t reach those heights without having a love for the game and it’s something that’s abundantly evident in this Fox Chapel grad. He had played as many different sports as he could when he was young before finally settling on volleyball because “It was the only sport that I felt a combination of camaraderie, teamwork and fun.” His dream was to play Division I college volleyball, but Josh also recognized it would require abundant practice in order to earn a spot on Ohio State’s powerhouse team.
“Josh is quite deserving of his position on the team,” says Phil O’Keeffe, Josh’s Foxes’ volleyball coach who mentored all three Tublin brothers over the course of nine years. “He is a great example of someone who worked hard to get where he is, plus he’s always been very well-liked by his teammates and coaches.”
“I was there to fulfill any role needed this year,” says Josh after returning to Ohio State to wrap up his junior year as a biomedical engineering major. “I really believe the main reason we did so well is that a lot of our back ups are better than the starters for many of the other teams and there is a real sense of teamwork among our players.”
Josh mostly contributed to the team as a libero – the same position he played in high school – but occasionally as a server, which is what he did in the semi-final match at the national championship games. The scholar-athlete still has two more years of eligibility, something he looks forward to with great enthusiasm. Yet, he still has a soft spot for the Foxes’ volleyball program and its coaches.
“One of my best memories of high school volleyball was during my freshman year,” recalls the six-foot athlete. “I remember going to the WPIAL championships with my brother Daniel, who was a senior. We did not get to play together on the court for that specific match, but throughout the regular season I did get to play with him.”
Daniel, who ended up playing volleyball for Stanford University, had a big influence on Josh, as did his high school coaches. “The Fox Chapel coaches were one of the main reasons why I am able to play in college,” Josh says. “They are great coaches and I consider Phil a good friend now. Volleyball is such a great sport and a lot of people overlook it. I would urge more athletes to go out for the program at Fox Chapel and help grow the sport. If they give it a chance, they’ll have a lot of fun.”
Josh will return home in a few weeks to work in a cardiovascular laboratory at UPMC. He’ll also dig into the books to study for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Both of his parents are doctors, but he admits it wasn’t something that was on his radar until this year. Plus, he’ll try to squeeze in some volleyball practice to beef up his passing skills. If history is any indicator, Josh’s nose-to- the-grindstone tenacity will take him far in his journey to become a doctor, just as it did for his dream to play NCAA Division I volleyball.