Jacob Kerschner is set to begin his first season as an assistant coach for Penn State men's volleyball. He arrived in Happy Valley after spending five seasons on the staff at Lewis and one year as an associate club director.
Kerschner, who spent the past year as the associate director for Pipeline Volleyball Club, picked up valuable collegiate experience immediately after his playing career. He spent one season as a graduate assistant at Lewis before working his way up to associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. In his first season on the staff, the Flyers won the 2021 MIVA title and advanced to the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament.
Lewis went 91-52 overall and 45-29 in conference play during Kerschner’s five seasons on staff. He proved to be a strong recruiter, bringing in 19 Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 athletes over his four years in that role. The Fab 50 list represents the top 50 high school athletes coming out of the United States each year. Of the 2021 and 2022 recruiting class, Lewis had the most Fab 50 athletes of any DI/DII program.
Kerschner, an AVCA 30 Under 30 Award recipient, followed his time at Lewis with one year of experience at Pipeline Volleyball Club, where he was responsible for running the Girls High School Premier Program. Included in that role was oversight of 190-plus athletes and 16-plus coaches, as well as the development of practice plans for 70 athletes in a single gym.
Kerschner has also been involved within the USA Volleyball coaching pipeline with multiple roles as an NTDP coach at both regional and national training series.
Kerschner earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and added a minor in athletic coaching from Lewis in 2020. He was a five-year member of the men’s volleyball program, of which he was a team captain for his final season. He earned five MIVA Academic All-Conference honors and was a five-time Brother David Delahanty Student Athlete Award recipient. The Flyers were MIVA champions and played in the National Semifinal in 2019.
Kerschner, a native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was an all-state player at Central Dauphin High School.