Northern Kentucky University Men's Volleyball

In yet another hire that will go down in school history, Northern Kentucky University and Vice President and Athletics Director Christina Roybal has announced the hiring of Jim Palilonis as the first men's volleyball head coach in program history in June 2024.   Palilonis will have the Norse ready for competition beginning in the 2025-26 academic year.   "I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve as the first head coach for the Northern Kentucky University men's volleyball program," Palilonis said. "President Short-Thompson and Director of Athletics Christina Roybal have a progressive vision for the growth of NCAA Division I men's volleyball, which I have been involved with for more than 20 years. I look forward to bringing that experience to Highland Heights to put NKU on the map for men's volleyball."   "The addition of men's volleyball at NKU represents an opportunity to foster and support home-grown talent, as well as to promote the university on a national and international stage," an excited Palilonis added.   "We are thrilled to announce Jim as the first head men's volleyball coach at NKU," Roybal said. "He recruits student-athletes who are champions on the court, in the classroom and in the community, and has a proven winning track record. We are excited for Jim to lead the program as we bring NCAA Division I men's volleyball to the Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati region." Palilonis joins NKU after spending the past three years as an assistant coach at Purdue Fort Wayne, competing in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. Prior to his time with the Mastodons, Palilonis also served as an assistant coach at Ball State for 16 seasons, who were also members of the MIVA.   At Purdue Fort Wayne, Palilonis helped lead defensive strategy while at Ball State, he primarily worked with setters and helped lead the offensive strategy. At both universities, he served as the head recruiting coordinator for the program.   Palilonis also played a key role in PFW's three winning seasons while he was on the sidelines. The Mastodons went 47-38 overall (.553) and advanced to the MIVA Tournament all three years during his time with the program. While at Ball State, he helped the Cardinals to 15 winning seasons, which included five 20-win campaigns.   Palilonis's teams and student-athletes consistently achieved national rankings and academic honors. One of his biggest accomplishments came at Ball State with his role in the 2002 season where the Cardinals finished with a record of 23-8 overall and reached the NCAA Final Four for the 15th time in program history. That success carried over to his time at Purdue Fort Wayne as the Mastodons ended the 2024 season nationally ranked while posting the highest team grade point average in PFW men's volleyball history. In addition to his time at Purdue Fort Wayne and with the Ball State men's program, Palilonis served as an assistant coach for the Ball State women's volleyball team for two seasons. He helped the Cardinals claim the 2010 Mid-American Conference regular season title and an at-large bid into the 2011 NCAA Women's Volleyball National Tournament.   Palilonis is a 1996 graduate of Ball State University with a degree in secondary education. Prior to joining the collegiate coaching ranks, he ran an alternative school in Winchester, Indiana and taught social studies in Chicago Public Schools.   His wife Jennifer is a George & Frances Ball Distinguished Professor and director of the Ball State Center for Emerging Media Design and Development. The two have twin sons, Gage and Quinn, who are acting majors at Ball State.

Jordan Little joined the Norse in July of 2025 as the first assistant coach of the Northern Kentucky University men's volleyball program. Little, a Central Florida native, most recently served as the Head Indoor Men's Volleyball Coach at NAIA Webber International University, a member of the Appalachian Athletic Conference, in Babson Park. Hired in September of 2023, Little amassed a 33-7 overall record in two seasons, going 17-3 in conference play. In Little's first season with the Warriors, the squad finished 17-2 with an 11-1 conference record, and followed it up with a 16-5 (6-2) season in 2025 where Webber made the conference title match in both seasons. Little coached a trio of first-team all-conference selections and a pair of second-team all-conference award winners, as well as the AAC's setter and middle blocker of the year.  Little has also worked at Winter Park Volleyball Club as a Head Boys Volleyball Trainer since August of 2019. At Winter Park, Little was responsibile for oversight of training for all boys enrolled at the club, as well as scheduling practices and managing and training a coaching staff upwards of 30 people. Additionally, Little coached AAU men's volleyball squads to back-to-back national championships in 2019 and 2020, and in 2021 to a pair of national championship appearances at both the 17-open and 14-open levels. Little has coached 10-plus athletes that have been selected to Volleyballmag.com's Fab 50 list (including the #3 overall recruit in 2022), trained 30-plus NCAA Division I signees, and Volleyballmag.com's top vote-getter for underclassmen to watch in 2025. Little has also coached players selected to represent the US in the 2023 FIVA u21 Men’s Volleyball World Championship, and gold medal winners at he 2024 & 2025 Norcea U19 championships in Puerto Rico & Mexico.  Little is a graduate of Valencia College in Orlando, where he obtained both an Associates in Arts degree and a Bachelor of Science in Business and Organizational Leadership. As of August 2025, Little is currently finishing up his Master's of Business Administration in Sports Business Management from Webber International.