Jamesville-DeWitt senior Owen Dougherty’s high school volleyball career came to an end in November.

He didn’t just finish strong, he left as a state champion, MVP and one of New York’s best.

Dougherty helped lead the Red Rams to their third state championship win in four years, was named MVP of the state tournament and earned first-team all-state honors.

It’s an impressive finish for someone who once doubted he’d even play volleyball in high school.

He grew up watching his sisters play the sport and began playing it himself as a seventh grader, but he wasn’t sure if he’d stick with it.

Dougherty also ran cross country in middle school and nearly chose to pursue that in high school instead.

“I was thinking of actually doing (cross country), but I’m super glad that I kept with volleyball,” he said. “Once I got to high school, I started playing club and really just fell in love with it.”

Dougherty joined JD’s varsity team as a sophomore. He was part of the 2023 state championship squad but played a limited role compared to this year.

“My sophomore year, I played, but I only played back row, only played defense,” Dougherty said. “And I came up partway through the season. So this year, starting from when we lost at states last year, we really, as a team, we just put in a lot of work over the offseason and the whole year.”

That work paid off when J-D reclaimed the state title it lost in 2024.

Dougherty is appreciative to have joined a J-D program that has churned out great teams and players for the past half-decade and gives all the credit to the culture that coach Jake Cline has developed.

“He’s really just focused on the development of the players starting right at ninth grade, JV,” Dougherty said. “He’s always working with the JV guys during practice. It really is no secret why we became such a successful program.”

The senior finished this season top 10 in Section III Division II in multiple categories. He was fourth in kills (210), sixth in assists (277), fifth in digs (137), tied for second in blocks (35) and eighth in aces (27).

Over his career, Dougherty recorded 395 kills, 309 assists, 288 digs, 61 blocks and 63 aces.

Those numbers tell the story of a dominant player, but for Dougherty, the real reward was the team’s success. Nothing compared to the feeling of walking off the court one last time as a state champion.

“(It was) the last time I’ll ever put on a jersey for J-D and playing in a game as big as the state championship,” he said. “It was really awesome. It was the best feeling in the world being able to accomplish that. I don’t know how anything that I’ve experienced so far could compare to that. It was really just the most gratifying and humbling feeling in the world.”

HONOLULU – The No. 2 University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team opens the 2026 season with a pair of non-conference matches against NJIT, Friday, Jan. 2 and Sunday, Jan. 4 at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. The matches begin a eight-match season-opening homestand for the Rainbow Warriors (0-0), who have won their last 12 season-openers dating back to 2014.

PROMOTIONS & GIVEAWAYS:
Friday, January 2
Join us Friday as we kick off the New Year and the new Warrior Volleyball season with the thrilling New Year’s Celebration Match! Brought to you by HMSA, to ring in the new year, the 2,026th fan through the gate will receive an exclusive gift, courtesy of the Men’s Volleyball Team!  
 
Ticket Promotion:
UH Alumni Appreciation Discount  
All University of Hawai’i Alumni will receive 50% off upper level adult tickets (maximum of eight). Tickets are in special sections. Supplies are limited and other restrictions may apply. Get your alumni tickets to select UH events at  https://hawaiiathletics.evenue.net/promotions/UHALUM2526

Sunday, January 4

Sunday is “Champions Night“ celebration presented by Hawaii State Federal Credit Union. Following Sunday’s match, the Rainbow Warriors will receive their Big West Championship rings during a special ring ceremony. Swing by the Sports Marketing Table at Gate A to join in the fun, participate in exciting promotions, and score some amazing prizes.

MATCHES #1-2
Who				#2 Hawai’i (0-0) vs. NJIT (0-0)
Date | Time				Friday, Jan. 2 | 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 4 | 5:00 p.m.
Location				Honolulu, O’ahu — Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center
Television				Spectrum Sports. Kanoa Leahey (play-by-play) and Chris McLachlin (analyst)
Live Stream				ESPN+ (blacked out in Hawai’i)
Radio				ESPN Honolulu (1420AM/92.7FM). Tiff Wells (play-by-play)
Streaming Audio				ESPNHonolulu.com; Sideline Hawaii app
Live Stats				HawaiiAthletics.com
Game Notes				Hawai’i
Digital Program				Click Here (coming soon)
Social Media				@HawaiiMensVB  | #HawaiiMVB #WarriorBall26 | @HawaiiMVB  | Facebook

SERIES INFORMATION

Overall: UH leads 3-0
            In Honolulu: UH leads 3-0
            In Newark: None
            Neutral: None
Postseason: None
Last Meeting: Jan. 10, 2019, UH 3-0
Streak: UH, 3

FIRST SERVE

• UH is 38-9 all-time in season-openers including a 14-2 mark under head coach Charlie Wade. Hawai’i has won 12 straight season-openers dating back to 2014.
• The Jan. 2nd season-opener is the earliest start in program history.
• UH leads the all-time series 3-0 which includes a two-match series sweep in 2009 and a season-opening win in 2019 as part of the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Warrior Classic. All three matches were in Honolulu and were won by the Warriors in straight sets.
• UH last opened the season against an EIVA opponent in 2020, when it swept a two-match series against Charleston in Honolulu.
• UH has a combined record of 38-10 against the current EIVA members. Hawai’i has played all seven current members including a 19-10 mark versus Penn State. UH has a combined 19-0 record against the six other teams.
• NJIT finished 14-13 last season and tied for second in the EIVA standings with an 8-4 mark. The Highlanders are picked second in this year’s preseason poll behind favorite Penn State.
• UH begins the season ranked No. 2 in the AVCA Top 20 poll, marking the ninth consecutive year it earned a top 5 preseason ranking. The Warriors are also picked No. 2 in the preseason Big West Coaches Poll while Tread Rosenthal, Adrien Roure, Kristian Titriyski were named to the preseason team.
• Hawai’i returns five starters — Rosenthal, Roure, Titriyski, Justin Todd, and Louis Sakanoko — among its 12 returning lettermen from last year’s squad that finished 27-6 and advanced to the NCAA Championship semifinals.
• The Warriors return 85.4 percent of its point-scoring production (kills-aces-blocks) including its leader in kills (Roure-344) and service aces (Rosenthal-38).
• UH has a 131-14 (.903) record at Bankoh Arena since 2017.
• Head coach Charlie Wade begins his 17th season at the helm of the Rainbow Warriors and last year became the winningest coach in program history, surpassing Mike Wilton. Wade has a 319-131 career record.

#HawaiiMVB

 

RIVERDALE, NY– Manhattan Men’s and Women’s Cross and Country and Track and Field Head Coach Todd Witzleben officially rounded out his 2025-26 Track and Field Coaching Staff with the additions of Justin Kleppel, Waddell Rembert-Jett, and Amanda Chambers on Tuesday morning. Assistant Coach Paddy McGrath remains as the Throws Coach for the Green and White.

Kleppel joins the Jasper family and returns home to Downstate New York after a four-year stint as a student-athlete for the Buffalo Bulls in the MAC.

Led by then Associate Head Coach Todd Witzleben of Buffalo’s Men’s Cross Country, Middle Distance and Distance Coach, Kleppel recorded career bests in numerous events, including the Indoor 60-Meter Dash with a time of 6.92. Outdoor 60-Meter Dash with a time of 7.13. Outdoor 100-Meter Dash of 10.86. Indoor Long Jump with a distance of 6.90m. Finally, the Outdoor Long Jump with a distance of 6.86m.

“I’ve watched as Justin developed from a walk-on at the University at Buffalo into the leader of the jumps squad,” described Witzleben. “I’m excited to bring him home to New York and have him mentor our strong jumps program at Manhattan.”

In his graduate campaign in 2024-25, Kleppel was named to the All-MAC Second Team for helping his team place second in the Men’s 4×100 Meter Relay at the MAC Outdoor Championships with a season-best time of 41.62. Individually, he finished ninth in the long jump finals with a personal best mark of 6.81 meters. Kleppel graduated from Buffalo with a degree in Public Health.

Kleppel hails from Queens and attended Francis Lewis High School, where he claimed PSAL Borough Champion in the Long Jump with a high school best 22’5″ in the respective event, with a mark of 11.84 in the 100m event.

Rembert-Jett hails from Columbia, SC, after attending South Carolina State as a four-year member of the Bulldogs Track and Field program.

“After a long search process, we found exactly what we were looking for in our new sprints and hurdles coach when we found Waddell,” described Witzleben. “He has the knowledge and enthusiasm to build a program that will soon get noticed around the NCAA.”

The Columbia native made his mark just two months into his collegiate career with a second-place finish at the Buccaneers Invitational with a 4x100m time of 41.04. Later that year at the Gamecock Invitational Outdoor, Rembert-Jett, once again, shone in the 4x100m event with a time of 39.63 and a top-five finish.

In the following indoor campaign, Rembert-Jett took the UAB Vulcan Invitational by storm in the 60m event with a time of 6.88 to finish atop the leaderboard in the respective event.

In his junior year, Rembert-Jett again claimed victory in a pair of 4x400m events. First, at the Samford Bulldog Open with a time of 3:16.34, while beating the previous time by nearly three whole seconds at the MEAC Indoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 3:13.64, to sit atop the leaderboard again. Rembert-Jett graduated with an undergraduate degree in 2022 and with a graduate degree in May 2025.

Chambers, a former student-athlete at the University at Albany, was a member of the Cross Country and Track and Field programs for five seasons, highlighted by three America East All-Conference accolades.

“Amanda was highly recommended as an up-and-coming distance coach,” said Witzleben. “As an athlete, she battled adversity to become one of the top runners in the Northeast. She knows what it takes to be great. Our Jasper athletes are going to benefit greatly from her experience and leadership.”

While a member of the Great Danes, Chambers captured her first victory as a student-athlete at the Central Connecticut State University Invitational in the 4x400m event with a time of 4:13.28. At the RPI Capital District Classic, the Schenectady native again took the 4x400m event by storm and posted another victory with a time of 4:05.82.

In the final event of her collegiate career, Chambers took home first place in the 10,000m at the IC4A/ECAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 34:18.13.

After her stint as a student-athlete, Chambers joined the team as an Assistant Coach for Middle Distance and Distance runners under the tutelage of Matt Jones and Roberto J. Vives. Chambers, under the historical duo, helped the women’s program capture its 14th straight and 16th overall America East outdoor title, extending its longest active conference winning streak among Division I institutions. As a member of the Jaspers Track and Field coaching staff, Chambers will also join the Cross Country coaching roster.

Finally, making his return is former Jasper and current Throws Coach, Paddy McGrath ’95. McGrath, a 2008 Manhattan University Hall of Famer, rejoined the coaching staff in 2019 and has overseen the throwing contingency ever since.

“Paddy [McGrath] will continue coaching our throws group. We have put together an outstanding staff that will lead us to MAAC Championships through strong coaching and recruiting,” said Witzleben. “We’re building a positive team culture that will provide our student athletes an incredible experience.”

The Jaspers return to action on Friday, January 9, when the Green and White’s Indoor season continues with a trip to The Armory to compete in the Lions Indoor Invitational hosted by TCNJ.

Hawaii junior outside hitter Louis Sakanoko sat down for an interview before the second men’s volleyball practice on Monday and took a deep breath.

“Man, I’m tired,” he said with a smile.

That’s the grind of having less than a week to prepare for the season as the No. 2-ranked Rainbow Warriors, who held their first official practices on Sunday, do what they can over five days to be ready to take the court on Friday in the season opener against New Jersey Institute of Technology at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

UH is holding three consecutive days of two-a-day practices before getting a day off for the holiday.

Friday’s match marks the first of eight over a 15-day period to start the season at home. Following UH’s match against Roberts Wesleyan on Jan. 16, the Rainbow Warriors won’t play at home again until March 4.

“We all know physically we can play with any team,” junior setter Tread Rosenthal said. “I think, mentally last year, we were a little immature at times, and we didn’t understand the full weight of every game matters and every point matters.”

Hawaii is coming off a 27-6 season that included a Big West Conference championship and an appearance in the national semifinals.

UH’s season ended in a three-set loss to UCLA, which went on to lose to Long Beach State in the final.

Hawaii returns six of its top seven kill leaders from last season, including Rosenthal, a third-year starter at setter who made the AVCA All-America first team last year.

Rosenthal was one of three Rainbow Warriors, along with sophomore outside Adrien Roure and opposite Kristian Titriyski, named to the Big West Men’s Volleyball Preseason Coaches Team on Monday.

Hawaii, which opens the season No. 2 in the country in the AVCA preseason rankings, was picked to finish second in the Big West behind Long Beach State in the preseason poll voted on by the league’s six head coaches.

UH defeated the Beach twice last year, including in the Big West tournament championship.

Hawaii was the only team to have three players selected to the preseason all-conference team.

“It’s fun to see the excitement surrounding the program and seeing the guys react to it,” Hawaii coach Charlie Wade said. “A guy like Roman (Payne), a guy like Trevell (Jordan) … I kind of laugh about it because they have no idea how much their lives are going to change in the next few months.”

Payne, a 7-foot freshman from Carlsbad, Calif., and Jordan, a 6-foot-10 sophomore transfer from Grand Canyon, are two new middle blockers who should enter the rotation right away.

Quintin Greenidge, a 5-foot-8 junior transfer from Canada, is the replacement for departed senior ‘Eleu Choy at libero and has been called by Rosenthal as a name to watch early in the season.

“I think Quintin is a very legit libero on the international stage and he has been very consistent for us in the practice gym,” Rosenthal said. “I know that that will translate to our games.”

The Rainbow Warriors are as loaded as any team in the country. Whether it was experienced three-year players in the program like Rosenthal or Sakanoko, or a newcomer like Jordan, everyone who spoke to the media Monday talked about finding consistency in every play on the court.

“It’s nice to hear that it’s seeping through a little bit. I’ve heard it back from some of them, but words are easy, action and lifestyle is a whole different thing,” Wade said. “Everybody loves the idea of being a champion and playing in front of sold-out crowds. Not everybody loves the lifestyle and not everybody embraces showing up every day and being the best version of yourself possible on a daily basis. It’s hard. It’s hard for anyone at any stage of life, let alone 19- and 20-year-olds.”

Assistant coach Kupono Fey has been promoted to associate head coach, taking over the role previously held by Milan Zarkovic, who departed for UCLA in the offseason. Donan Cruz will continue on the staff as an assistant coach.

Hawaii’s January schedule includes a pair of doubleheaders on Jan. 14 and 16.

UH will rotate a morning 11 a.m. match and an evening 7 p.m. match against Rockhurst and Roberts Wesleyan.

Loyola-Chicago, which UH hosts on Jan. 8 and 9, begins the season ranked No. 7 in the country. NJIT is the second team outside of the Top 20.