Men’s Volleyball coming to Defiance College beginning in 2025-26
DEFIANCE, Ohio – Men's volleyball will be introduced as the 18th varsity sport at Defiance College beginning in the 2025-26 academic year, the College's athletic department announced on Wednesday.
The men's volleyball season will be held during the spring semester with games played from January through April. The Yellow Jackets' men's volleyball games will be hosted on Coach Marv Hohenberger Court at the Karl H. Weaner Center. This is also the first new sport added to DC's offering since Esports launched in 2018, just before the rebirth of the wrestling program during the same academic year.
Jeremy Thornburg, DC's newly-minted women's volleyball head coach, will lead the new men's program as his role expands to Director of Volleyball. Thornburg has six years of head coaching experience on the men's volleyball side in addition to his time as a student manager for the men's team at Purdue-Fort Wayne.
"I am thrilled to lead the new men's volleyball program at Defiance College," says Thornburg. "As we transition to the NAIA and the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, men's volleyball is a great addition to our sports offering. I have a rich history with the collegiate sport dating back to 2006 at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne and coaching at many levels from club to college ranks. I believe that we can make this one of the many successful programs here at Defiance!"
Following DC's move to the NAIA becoming official on July 1 and once the team is ready for competition, the new men's volleyball program will become the 11th school competing within the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference comprised of six other full members (Aquinas, Cornerstone, Indiana Tech, Lawrence Tech, Lourdes and Siena Heights) and four affiliate members (Bethel, Goshen, Mount Vernon Nazarene and St. Mary-of-the-Woods). The WHAC has sponsored a men's volleyball championship since 2019, which was also the first year the NAIA held a national championship.
"We are excited to finally add men's volleyball as a sponsored sport at Defiance College," says Defiance College Athletic Director Tiffani Selhorst. "We believe men's volleyball can be competitive in the NAIA and the WHAC. I know Coach Thornburg is excited to be leading both programs and with his experience, I know we will reach new heights in both men's and women's volleyball. Volleyball is a key piece in the future of Defiance College athletics, and we intend to keep growing and offering opportunities as all our athletic teams make the transition to NAIA."
Coach Thornburg is actively leading the charge for the men's volleyball program and is already on the hunt for all positions to build the roster. He is looking to begin with unsigned 2024 athletes who are looking get on the ground floor and help lead from the beginning. All recruiting inquiries can be directed to jthornburg@defiance.edu.
Support Defiance College Athletics at the 2024 Yellow Jacket Classic golf outing on June 15 at Eagle Rock Golf Club. Details about the outing can be found by clicking here. All new graduates have a discounted price for registration. Also, Defiance College is celebrating 175 years on March 23, 2025. The 175th Anniversary Campaign is currently underway. Click here to find out more or to give today!
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