ROCKLIN – The inaugural season of Jessup men's volleyball was one for the history books. Hoping to kick off the new program on the right foot, head coach Kyle Steele and his group of Warriors did more than expected as they ended year one as the champions of the NCCAA.
 
Steele, who led the women's volleyball program to an NCCAA national championship game appearance in the fall, closed out his first year at Jessup as the NCCAA Coach of the Year.
 
Three Warriors joined Steele on the postseason awards list, led by Jan Lopuch, who was named the NCCAA Player of the Year. Freshman Owen Henning earned NCCAA First-Team All-American honors. Taylor Marks was named a Second-Team All-American.
 
The Warriors won 15 matches in their inaugural season, and they wasted little time getting historic win number one as they defeated Pacific Union in four sets on opening night. The first home victory for the Warriors came on February 7 when Jessup beat Menlo.
 
Jessup tested itself against top-tier competition throughout the 2025 season. The Warriors played three matches against Division I teams ranked in the top 25. The Warriors took a set against CSUN on February 14, and then they won the opening set of their April 10 match in Malibu against Pepperdine.
 
The Warriors battled Pepperdine, a team that finished in the NCAA semifinals, two times this season.
 
An 11-win regular season secured the Warriors the West Region's bid in the inaugural NCCAA Men's Volleyball National Championship. Jessup was one of four teams to secure a spot in Illinois, with the postseason beginning on April 25 with pool play.
 
Pool play started with Jessup dropping their first set against Roberts Wesleyan, but that small hiccup was all the Warriors would encounter in their four matches. Jessup swept the next nine sets of pool play to secure a spot in the championship match.
 
Jessup's opponent in the championship would be Roberts Wesleyan yet again, and this time it was another Jessup sweep as the Warriors closed the postseason with 12 set victories in a row.
 
Lopuch ended the season with 372 kills, the most in the NCCAA. He also led the NCCAA in kills per set (4.18), points (431), and points per set (4.84). Henning finished second in the NCCAA with a .410 hitting percentage. Marks finished fourth in the NCCAA with 878 assists.
 
There will be no NCCAA repeat for the Warriors in 2026 as the university announced it will not renew its membership. Jessup will have their sights set on a new landscape as the Warriors will begin MPSF membership this season. Jessup will also be eligible for NCAA postseason competition.
 
Stay tuned to jessupathletics.com throughout the summer as more recaps from the 2024-25 season will be released.
   
Jessup University is a provisional member of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division II and the PacWest Conference. For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Instagram & X).