Victories all season long caught the attention that the 2025 College of DuPage men's volleyball season would be one to remember.

The end result paid off when the Chaparrals laid no question about whether they were the premier program in the NJCAA when it defeated Nassau Community College 3-1 on Sunday to capture the NJCAA Invitational, held at Finger Lakes Community College in Canandiagua, 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, who finished 24-2 overall, entered the tourney as the top seed and boasted an unbeaten record against junior college programs. They brought into the invitational a 10-0 record against two-year schools and had just two set losses in those 10 matches.

Nothing changed once the Green and Silver competed in upstate New York. The Chaps ripped through 3-0 wins over No. 9 Passaic County, No. 5 Bryant and Stratton and No. 6 Union 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.

The tone in the four-set victory over the Lions started early. In the opener, COD scored the match's first four points. At 13-9 COD, the Chaps produced a 6-1 run that the Lions couldn't recover. Overlin threw down a kill, earned an ace and on a block assist during the run.

In the second, the Chaps fought back and pulled within a point, 20-19, on a kill from Braeden Zant. Two straight points from the Lions put them back in control and the match was tied after NCC's 25-21 win.

The Chaparrals answered right back and produced a momentum swing that put COD in control for the duration of the match.

After an Adam Janowiak kill tied the set at 1-1, the Downers Grove moved into the serve position and that's where the match turned. He served six straight points with two kills from Zant, and blocks from Overlin that keyed the run and COD stayed out front and won going away, 25-13.

The final set belonged to COD after it built an 11-5 lead. Nassau never got closer than two points of the lead and the Chaps pushed ahead 20-15 on a solo block from Brayden Tejeda.

The set and match closed on Barbel's kill.

Freshman Adam Janowiak led in kills with 11 and MVP Justus Barbel threw down seven ills, two service aces, and boasted 11 digs, two solo blocks and four block assists against the Lions.

COD dominated on serve-receive, outscoring the Lions 7-1 an ace advantage.

Defensively, the Chaps completely won the battle on the attack, scoring six solos and 12 assists. Conversely, Nassau had just two blocks 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 totaled 57 points.

"A well-deserving 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, who 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.

The season marked the third season of men's volleyball within the NJCAA. COD finished fourth in 2023 and third in 2024.