Ross Kessler enters his third season as an assistant coach for the Huskies volleyball program.
Kessler arrives in DeKalb with extensive experience and knowledge, serving most recently as head coach at Division II Newberry College in South Carolina.
In five seasons with the Wolves, Kessler coached his team to two South Atlantic Conference Tournaments and mentored six All-SAC performers.
One of his prodigies, Natasha Bannister, received D2CCA DII All-Region, AVCA DII All-Region, and Honorable Mention AVCA DII All-American honors upon completion of the 2021 campaign.
Prior to his time at Newberry, Kessler served as an assistant coach at Arkansas State in 2017 where he coached the Red Wolves' setters and was responsible for opponent scouting and game planning at the DI level. Kessler guided setter Ellie Watkins to Second Team All-SBC status; she averaged 11.07 assists per-set which ranked first in the league and 26th in the nation.
Kessler helped Arkansas State achieve a 21-12 overall mark, including wins over Ole Miss and Central Florida. The Red Wolves qualified for the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) that year and won the opening round against SIUE, 3-1.
Kessler was also an assistant coach at Troy University in 2016 and Georgia Southern in 2015 where his responsibilities included film breakdown, film exchange, practice planning, day-to-day operations and recruiting.
Kessler joined the collegiate ranks in 2014 when he was a volunteer assistant at the University of Kentucky. The Wildcats went 27-6 overall and finished second in the Southeastern Conference.
As an undergraduate student at Butler University from 2005-2009, Kessler was the starting setter and president of the men's club volleyball team. Kessler coached high school club volleyball and served as a student assistant coach for the varsity women's volleyball team for two seasons as well.
Kessler put his love for the game in action as he was one of two co-founders of the Butler women's club volleyball program. After being elected head coach, he built the program from a group of nine girls to a nationally recognized club program.
Kessler is three-time state champion for Trinity High School in Louisville. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Butler University and an MBA from Bellarmine University.
