INDIANAPOLIS - "Just one percent better". That's been the motto for Andrew Kroger and his young Jaguar volleyball team. Being able to adapt and make the best of a situation is something the first year head coach at IUPUI is accustomed to throughout his coaching career.

Kroger, a Cincinnati native, found himself at La Salle University as an assistant coach from 2014-2018 until he became head coach of the program from 2019-2021. While in Philadelphia, Kroger felt the city was just too big for his liking and unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, not only was the season postponed but the volleyball program at La Salle was discontinued along with six other sports teams. That's when Kroger made the move to North Alabama.

While coaching at North Alabama as interim head coach for the 2021 season, the team went 9-21. After the short season at North Alabama, Kroger again found himself at another school. Kroger joined the Ohio University staff as an assistant coach for only one season where the team finished with a 20-21 overall record and with a number of student-athlete accolades including three players named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team. Now, Kroger has landed in Indianapolis as the Jaguars Volleyball head coach.

Kroger has always been a fan of the Indianapolis area since he was a youth volleyball coach. Kroger says that Indianapolis is a "hotbed" for junior volleyball and whenever his team would travel here, he always enjoyed his visits and the general vibe of the city. When he got the IUPUI job offer, he said he already felt comfortable and familiar with the city and it was a "no-brainer" for him to accept the job.

Once he got to Indianapolis, there were many unknowns, not only for Kroger, but also for his young team of six freshmen and a transfer along with six returners. Kroger explained how it was a transition for everyone on the team, especially since his arrival to the school was his first time meeting of the team.

"Having a new team, there is a lot of trust and a lot of new relationships to be built," Kroger said. One percent better. No matter what the situation is, that's all coaches are always looking for on and off the playing field. In this case, building relationships on and off the court and building trust not only from player to player but also players to coach.

This season has not been filled with many happy endings as the 9-18 Jaguars have found themselves at the losing end of a lot of close games this season. With a losing record, it can start to create a lot of doubt in players minds which can be hard to keep them encouraged everyday. "It can be mentally exhausting at times," to keep his team encouraged, Kroger said.

Kroger and his staff have been focused on reminding the players to trust the process. He makes a note for himself and for the assistant coaches to have the same tone and commitment no matter the results. There have been many matches this season where the Jaguars have almost pulled out some big wins. Possibly the closest game played came against the second place team in the Horizon League in the beginning of the season, Green Bay.

The Jags played into the fifth set and lost the match by only two points. Going forward, Kroger says his team has to "attack each set the same" and he gives his props to the upperclassmen for being good leaders and leading by example. Although the upperclassmen have been great leaders for the six freshmen on the team, Kroger also expressed his appreciation for his freshman class and newcomers on the team. He says that his underclassmen bring a level of competitiveness while also being slightly naive to the competition level of college volleyball.

As a freshman, you have to work very hard to prove a spot on the team, let alone making it to the starting rotation. That is what helped freshman Grace Purichia stand out on this team. Kroger says Purichia comes from a high level youth volleyball program and is acclimated to this level of competition and doesn't shy away from it. Gelling the team together was not only a goal of Kroger's, but also the players. Purichia said every individual on the team is very different and how they all put an emphasis on creating good team chemistry.

Purichia hasn't just stepped in as a natural leader, but she has pushed her teammates to bring the love to win every single day. "The way I have tried to lead is from leading by example." Purichia said. "If I am going to say something, I am going to make sure I am doing it myself." That is the type of accountability, leadership and maturity that has been shown throughout this young Jaguar team.

The transition for these young players is not always easy as Purichia explains. "Not only has the competition level and travel schedule been an adjustment but also the school workload." she said. "We lean on each other as teammates."

Not only has that helped mesh the team together more but it has also helped everyone feel like they are being held accountable for their own work as well. Kroger shared some ideas he has for next season to help the team gel together better and quicker. He said he would like to get his players to live closer together so they could do more team activities away from the coaches and help build their bond on their own outside of the mandatory times that they meet. Not only would this help the team chemistry in total, it would also help the girls to mix throughout their groups and get to hangout with people on their team that they might not talk to as often. Kroger would also make sure to set up his own team bonding events as that is the number one thing on his mind to help with next year's team.

The Jaguars lose two seniors next season in Emily Alan and Brooke Phillips, so continuing to build the trust with the team next season is of the utmost priority to himself and the team. But for now, it is about the little gains and wins that he sees for his team. When they are doing well in classes, doing one percent better in practices, games, whatever the case may be because as long as you're moving forward, you're getting better.

The Jaguars' season is coming to a closet with just two matches left. IUPUI hosts the Northern Kentucky Norse on Friday, November 10 at 6:00 Pm then the team will celebrate their senior leaders on Saturday, November 11 at 4:00 PM. Both games can be seen on ESPN+.