A dynasty grows: Roncalli soars as state champs in boys’ volleyball again
The players, coaches and managers of the boys’ volleyball team of Roncalli High School in Indianapolis are all smiles on June 6 at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis as they celebrate winning the state championship. (Submitted photo)
By John Shaughnessy
There will come a time when Lily Jennings hears the stories and sees the photos of the team that has earned a special place in her father’s heart.
She will learn that shortly after the boys’ volleyball team of Roncalli High School in Indianapolis won the 2026 Indiana state championship, her dad—head coach Nick Jennings—couldn’t wait to share the moment with her and her mother Emily.
She will likely see the photo of the players, managers and coaches of the team that earned Roncalli its remarkable fifth straight championship in the sport, a photo that shows her dad holding her as a 9-month-old.
While those stories and photos will undoubtedly be a part of her future, they will also undoubtedly stay fresh in the thoughts of her dad for a long time.
“I’m just so proud of how this team worked together. I can’t ask for a better team,” Jennings said after Roncalli defeated the team from Cathedral High School in Indianapolis—25-21, 25-16, 25-13—on June 6 for the state championship.
“I’ll remember how close this team was. They were all friends with each other. It wasn’t just, ‘go to practice, go home.’ They spent so much time together outside of the building. And they just relied on each other. How close-knit and how great this team was from player to player is something I’ll never forget. That will always be the standard I want to set.”
In winning its fifth straight championship, the dominant standard that the boys’ volleyball program has achieved connects to a word in sports that Jennings has previously avoided: dynasty.
“When I first took over a few years ago, I hated the ‘d’ word because I felt it put a lot of extra pressure on the boys, myself and the program as a whole,” says Jennings, who has been head coach of the four most recent teams and a varsity assistant coach on the team from five years ago.
“Now that we’ve won this fifth one, I can confidently say that we are a dynasty, and it’s something to be proud of.”
Jennings praises the previous teams for helping to create that standard, and this year’s team for embodying those qualities in a special way.
“The biggest thing we preach is we’re going to be the hardest-working group, we’re going to be the most polite, and we’re going to be willing to do whatever it takes. In my time, we’ve had eight or nine kids who entered the program playing one position, and by the time they’re on varsity they’re playing a completely new position. That willingness to do whatever the team needs sets us apart.”
That willingness usually starts with the seniors of the team, and this year’s eight seniors embraced that leadership: Xavier Lawrie, AJ Morris, Noah Meyer, Jack Hovanec, Charlie Spearing, Maddox Butler, Charlie Coffman and Gavin Louthain.
“Having players that can hold each other to a higher standard means more when it’s not just coming from the coach,” Jennings says. “When the seniors are pushing them and motivating them, they truly believe the expectation is higher, and they get a bigger sense of confidence than when it’s just coming from the coach.”
The program also stresses something that many programs don’t, Jennings notes.
“Boys’ volleyball is a big offensive game, about big swings and having big hitters. We preach defense because if we can shut a player down, that makes us more successful than us just having great hitters.”
Jennings also has high praise for his coaching staff—Will Beikes, Andrew Gallagher, Dom Jannazzo and Jane (Deak) Jennings, his mother.
“As we’ve won the past five years, it’s not like I’ve had the same kids each year. They come up through the freshman and junior varsity program and then to the varsity program. My coaching staff has been incredible. I couldn’t do any of this without them.”
As a coach, Jennings also stresses an emphasis on faith and service.
“We pray before every practice and every match. We do volunteer work. We’ve been blessed with so many gifts and the ability to play this sport. So, we need to give our time to others as well.”
The combination of all those approaches has led to another state championship, a result that Jennings doesn’t take for granted.
“I have a great appreciation for what this team has done. Each year, there’s a little more pressure, but each championship, there’s a different way to do it. We’ve had a couple of close ones while this year we kind of took care of business against everybody. So, you just appreciate it. The excitement is the same.”
Still, this team has earned a special place in his heart. And he’s always grateful for the great support the team gets from the Roncalli community. Two fans at the state championship stood out to him.
“I want to give a shout-out to my wife for bringing a 9-month-old baby to all these games and being supportive,” Jennings says. “I couldn’t do this without Emily.
“It was cool to have them both there. Obviously, Lily didn’t know what was going on. She became like a little mascot because all the parents loved to hold her, and they stepped up so Emily could have a breather at times. It definitely meant more to share it with those two.” †
