Former Flames men's indoor and beach volleyball standout setter Kaden Knepper spent the past four seasons as assistant coach at MSU-Denver, leading it to the school's first NCAA Division II national championship this past fall.
Knepper played key role as setter on 2019 NCVF third-place team before launching coaching career
5/6/2026 2:43:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
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The Hall of Fame Flames setter now coaches middle hitters and blockers for American University’s women’s indoor volleyball team.
Former East Coast Championships Most Valuable Player and All-National Collegiate Volleyball Federation First Team honoree Kaden Knepper ('19, '21) — who led Liberty University's men's volleyball team to the program's best-ever third-place showing at the NCVF National Championships in Denver his senior season — is one of three members of the Club Sports Hall of Fame's 12th class to be inducted during Wednesday night's Choice Awards.
Knepper is in his first season as American University Assistant Coach.
While earning a B.S. in Sport Psychology, receiving Dean's List recognition all four years, Knepper sparked the Flames' men's indoor and beach volleyball teams with his dynamic play from the setter position. His skill set included a phenomenal jump serve and exceptional court vision, distributing the ball with precision to an array of hitters, including opposite hitter Joshua Knapp ('22), who went on to coach the team, and Gene DeJesus ('19), one of its most dominant middle blockers, and outside hitter James Morton ('22).
Knepper was voted the Club Sports Male Athlete of the Year at the Spring 2019 Choice Awards, the same season Head Coach Bryan Rigg was named Men's Coach of the Year.
"Bryan was awesome, a great coach," Knepper said. "He was always very prepared, taking care of a lot of logistics, and his teams are always competitive. We knew he always wanted to win and would train us on what the best teams in the country were doing. Part of my enjoyment of scouting other teams came from him."
He also credits Rigg for developing his aggressive jump serve, an effective skill that translated well to the sand and grass volleyball courts.
Knepper won several grass tournaments playing with former DI women's Assistant Coach Brett Anema and has faced former interim Head Coach Nolan Albrecht, a grass phenom, at a few tournaments.
"I always liked indoor, which is what I fell in love with originally, but through my time playing indoors, I grew to love beach and grass volleyball, too," he said.
As he pursued his M.S. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Knepper assisted Kaleb VanDePerre — Rigg's successor as men's indoor head coach in 2020 — on the Club Sports women's beach volleyball coaching staff while also serving as a volunteer assistant coach under Head Coach Trevor Johnson on the Lady Flames' NCAA Division I indoor volleyball staff.
Knepper incorporated his grasp of sports psychology as MSU Denver's lone assistant coach under 10th-year Head Coach Jenny Glenn, handling scouting, training preparation, and match strategy responsibilities. The Roadrunners racked up a 116-15 record over Knepper's four seasons as assistant coach, including a record-setting 32-3 championship season in 2025.
"We advanced to the Sweet 16 with MSU Denver a couple years in a row, and last year broke through … and it was an honor and a blessing to win the national championship," Knepper said. "God gets all the glory for every one of those victories on our run. It was an incredible time with an incredibly unified and loving team. Our team focused on unchanging belief no matter the opponent or the score, and we focused on identity within the team. We explored and knew who each individual was on our team and emphasized their value based on who they are instead of what they could do or how they could perform." Knepper (right) joined forces with former Flames Head Coach Kaleb VanDePerre (from left) and Kyle and Brett Anema to win a cash prize at a beach volleyball tournament.
After working mostly with setters and liberos at Liberty, Knepper has coached more middle hitters and blockers at MSU-Denver and American, growing more passionate for developing the offensive side of the game.
"I had no idea volleyball would be my career path until I got into the gym and saw the people involved in coaching," Knepper said. "I realized coaches were the ones having the greatest impact, more than sports consultants, in building relationships with the athletes."
Knepper started this spring as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under Glenn at NCAA Division I American University in Washington, D.C., closer to his hometown of Mechanicsville, Pa. The Eagles are the defending Patriot League champions.
He said his time at Liberty transformed his knowledge of the mental side of the game and techniques for teaching student-athletes skills as well as training them from a holistic viewpoint.
"I learned a lot about what's really important in sports, why we play, giving God all the glory for getting top places while representing the Lord on that stage," Knepper said. "Now, how I view my role as a coach, and desiring to make a positive impact on their lives, I try to let the athletes have their own identity and strengths, and build off what their goals are, while incorporating truth into the whole process."
By Ted Allen/Staff WriterKnepper showcases his enthusiasm by crashing into the MSU-Denver locker room after the NCAA Division II National Championship. Knepper (in red) was the sole assistant under Jenny Glenn on MSU-Denver's NCAA Division II national championship team last fall.
