LYNCHBURG, Va. – For the University of Lynchburg men's volleyball team, avoiding the "sophomore slump" meant first surviving a winter of uncertainty. After a 9-15 inaugural season, the Hornets were entering the fall of 2025 without a coach, without a schedule, and with the distinct feeling of being overlooked by the rest of the conference.

Rather than folding under the lack of direction, the returning roster used the hardships to build a shared resilience. What may have appeared to be a program in defeat was actually a team finding its feet.

"I think after the previous coach left, this group kind of needed the adversity," said senior outside hitter Mason Kenna. "Not having a coach and almost feeling doubted by everybody…that woke everybody up."

December of 2025 entailed the hiring of now head coach Joshua Knapp. For a team that had fewer than five full practices during the fall semester, Knapp's arrival not only brought in a new coaching staff and talented players, but also a new mindset.

Currently 3-5 overall and 1-1 in ODAC play, the Hornets are navigating through a tough early-season schedule. According to Kenna, though, the biggest growth has happened within the philosophy of the group as a whole.

"Last year, we were a bunch of athletes just playing volleyball," Kenna said. "But now Coach Knapp is making us play and think like volleyball players. He genuinely thinks we could be really, really good."

Knapp, coming from the club program at Liberty University, brought in a more disciplined style of play. He noted that the transition to NCAA Division III men's volleyball required more focus on the "environmental" side of the game.

"Instantly coming in, it was about giving them some standards, some foundation," Knapp said. "Those guys have responded really well…it's been really exciting to see how fast they're learning and taking on the new systems that are not easy to just throw in."

Knapp did not make the transition to Lynchburg alone. With him he brought junior outside hitter transfer Joshua Davis and sophomore setter transfer Will Radi. These two provided the technical knowledge Coach Knapp needed established to fully implement his vision for the team.

"Will and I just had a really strong connection on the court, and that's what Coach Knapp saw," said Davis, who leads the team in kills for three of their six matches. "Raising the standard changes what the future of the team looks like."

Davis's arrival gave returning players like Kenna an opportunity to adjust into not only an offensive, but a well-rounded, defensive role as well.

"We have two huge offensive threats – Bryce Jackson is awesome…and our new transfer, Josh, is gross. I just get to keep the ball off the floor and watch them do their thing," Kenna said.

Being backed by a department following "One Nation" expectations, the pressure to succeed is always present. A conversation with the Assistant Athletic Director for Sport Performance Ed Smith served as a turning point for the group's mentality, challenging the team to better reflect the school's winning reputation.

For Kenna, that conversation honed the team's mission into a singular focus: Winning. He noted that while the women's volleyball team and other campus sports have enjoyed recent success, the men's program fell behind last year, a gap he believes the team is ready to close.

Knapp has been pleasantly surprised by how quickly this culture has taken effect. "The energy and our bench has surprised me," Knapp said. "For a second-year program to almost have this heartbeat and culture without having to be worked on, that's something special."

The Hornets have been on the road for the first month of the season, but the team will soon return to Turner Gymnasium on Feb. 25 to test this new maturity in their home opener against Randolph College. 

For Davis, Kenna, and Coach Knapp, the goal to prove that this program consists of a system designed to win is clear. As they prepare to compete on their home court for the first time this year, the team is looking to redefine the expectations of what a second-year program can achieve.

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