By: Mark Reinhiller
Victories all season long indicated that the 2025 College of DuPage men's volleyball season would be one to remember.
In the end, the Chaparrals laid no question about whether they were the premier program in the NJCAA by defeating Nassau Community College 3-1 on April 6 to capture the NJCAA Invitational, held at Finger Lakes Community College in Canandaigua, N.Y.
"The guys kept building and getting better,” head coach Tolis Koskinaris said. "We had the necessary depth to win, and guys stepped up and we succeeded. Our guys played at a high, optimal level. Our season ended the way it should have with us winning it.”
The Chaps, which finished 24-2 overall, entered the tourney as the top seed and brought into the invitational a 10-0 record against two-year schools, having lost just two sets in those 10 matches.
Nothing changed once the Chaps competed in upstate New York. The Chaps ripped through 3-0 wins over No. 9 Passaic County Community College, No. 5 Bryant and Stratton College and No. 6 Union College to reach the finals of the double-elimination invite, where they faced Nassau, the No. 2 seed.
The 25-13, 21-25, 25-13, 25-22 victory featured a .261 attack percentage with 46 kills, just 16 errors in 115 attacks. Freshman Adam Janowiak led in kills with 11 and MVP Justus Barbel threw down seven kills and two service aces as well as boasted 11 digs, two solo blocks and four block assists against the Lions. COD dominated on serve-receive, outscoring the Lions 7-1 in ace advantage.
Defensively, the Chaps completely won the battle on the attack, scoring six solos and 12 assists. Conversely, Nassau had just two block assists.
Barbel was an easy choice for MVP honors. In his four matches, the middle blocker totaled 34 kills, 27 digs, eight solo blocks and 18 block assists. He also totaled 57 points.
"This was a well-deserved honor for Justus, who was our most consistent player all season long,” Koskinaris said. "He has the desire to continue his career. His work ethic is top notch and he’s a smart player.”
Depth paid off for the Chaps, which lost freshman star Braeden Zant with a knee injury
in the third set.
"Our team was so deep this season,” Koskinaris said. "Braeden goes down and now we
have to get our focus back and play. Kevin Jones stepped it up and proved our depth.”
Koskinaris was named Coach of the Year. It is his first honor on the men's side and second in his career, after COD won the women’s NJCAA title in 2022.