Joliet Catholic Academy athletic director Jim O’Brien is proud to announce Jeffrey Budz ‘15 as the new head boys volleyball coach. Budz most recently coached collegiate volleyball as an assistant at Concordia University Chicago, where he served under his former JCA head coach Rhyen Staley. While at JCA as a student-athlete, Budz helped lead the Hilltoppers to the program’s first-ever conference title in 2015 during his senior season.

A 2019 graduate of Loras College, Budz was a four-year contributor to the Duhawks’ men’s volleyball team. Appearing in 34 sets in his career, Budz helped lead Loras to back-to-back American Rivers Conference tournament appearances, and competed in the conference championship game during his junior year. 

Budz said, “I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to lead this team. I think we have a solid group of guys and have the ability to compete with the best teams in Illinois.”

While on the coaching staff at Concordia, Budz was part of two promising seasons that saw the Cougars go 17-10, before both seasons were cut short due to COVID-19.

Budz earned his undergraduate degree in English and Education. He is currently the Technology Infrastructure Specialist at JCA and coaches youth volleyball in the community. He is pursuing a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an ESL endorsement.