Coach Tolis Koskinaris hopes his 2025 Chaparrals men's volleyball team will find its way.
 
It would appear, based on Tuesday night's 3-1 victory over four-year varsity team Trinity Christian, that Year 3 of the program is in the right direction.
 
The Chaps opened their season with a dominant performance in their 25-23, 25-19, 19-25, 25-19 victory. It marked the program's first victory over a four-year varsity program since beginning in 2023.
 
"We're seeing that it's no longer a feel-out process,'' Koskinaris said. "We're competing with athletes who sought out our program. Area athletes considering playing college volleyball now view COD as a viable choice.''
 
Sophomores Justus Barbel, Nathan Perez, Ben Hoover, along with redshirt sophomore Kevin Jones provide the foundation.
 
What's equally impressive is 15 of the team's 17 Chaps hail within DuPage County.
 
On Tuesday, COD and Trinity played through 12 ties until the Chaps strung a three-point run after the final tie at 16. The second was COD's most impressive of the night. Down 5-4, the Chaps scored 10 straight points and remained well in front.
 
After dropping the third set, COD jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the fourth. The Chaps led by as many as eight (13-5) and remained out front for the win.
 
Both Barbel and Perez took their ability to another level this offseason, Koskinaris said.
 
"Those two played a lot last summer and honed their games,'' he said. "They realized that we have a chance to be pretty good this year and their leadership is a big part of where we want to go.''
 
COD is at New Rochelle, N.Y., this weekend, participating in the Monroe Tourney. The COD Invitational is Feb. 14-16 and the NJCAA Invitational April 4-6 in Canandaigua, N.Y., and hosted by two-time invitational champion Finger Lakes Community College.