LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jenni Grzebin knew exactly what she was seeing. Jordyn Kuchenbrod had All-American written all over her. That much was clear.

The Bellarmine coach could only hope the wrong people — namely the hordes of other collegiate volleyball coaches and recruiters across the country — wouldn't all pick up on that projection before Kuchenbrod's time at Assumption High School in Louisville and on the travel-team circuit ended.

"Jordyn was on a very talented Assumption team and, in a lot of ways, I felt like she was overlooked and under-recruited," Grzebin said. "She was in a class with some of the nation's best defenders. Most of my recruiting was aimed at making sure Jordyn knew she too was one of the nation's best defenders. I told her she would be an All-American if she came to Bellarmine, because I knew she had the talent and work ethic to make that a reality."

Reality — check.

Not only was Kuchenbrod an All-American, she was a three-time All-American for the Knights from 2015-18. The most decorated player in program history, who also garnered three Great Lakes Valley Conference Libero of the Year accolades, was voted Bellarmine Player of the Decade for Volleyball in an online poll.



"I am super thankful and obviously excited to receive this award. It is a great honor to have the support from my peers," Kuchenbrod said. "I definitely miss every second of playing at Bellarmine. I think the things I remember most about my time there were how much I loved my teammates and the relationships that I built with them."

The winning was pretty nice, too.

Kuchenbrod was a critical component in the program's ascension into the upper tier of the GLVC. Bellarmine went from 10-21 her freshman season to 19-12 her sophomore year. That significant improvement set the stage for the 2017 breakout in which the Knights went 23-9, including 13-5 in the GLVC, and received their first-ever NCAA II Tournament berth. Bellarmine posted a 20-10 mark in Kuchenbrod's senior campaign, marking the first back-to-back 20-win seasons since 1979 and 1980.

"I take a lot of pride in what my team accomplished while I was there," Kuchenbrod said. "I think as a team, we set the bar high to what Bellarmine's volleyball program should look like for years to come. We weren't looked at as a team that was going to just get walked over. We became a top program that people didn't like playing, and that is always a good thing."

Kuchenbrod was a game-changing player on game-changing teams for the program, but her expectations for herself were very modest at the beginning, with her noting "I figured coming in as a freshman I would get some playing time hopefully, and we would go from there." Suffice it to say, Kuchenbrod drastically underestimated her ability. She played in every set of every match her "rookie" year and racked up 639 digs, which at the time was second in program history for a single season.

The groundwork was indeed laid for Grzebin's projection of a future All-American.

"After my freshman year, those expectations for myself definitely skyrocketed, especially after realizing what Jenni had expected of me," Kuchenbrod said. "I wanted to do whatever it took to be the best that I could, but at the same time not get caught up in all of the numbers — just go out and play like I knew that I could."

The translation on that would be playing like a GLVC Libero of the Year, an All-American and a program record-breaker. Over her final three seasons, Kuchenbrod swept the GLVC Libero of the Year laurels, was recognized as an All-American each go-around, posted the three highest single-season digs outputs in program history (788 as a sophomore, 777 as a junior, 717 as a senior) and became the program's all-time digs leader (2,921). That digs total ranks fifth all-time in Division II. She was also three-time first-team All-GLVC and All-Midwest Region.

Before Kuchenbrod arrived at Bellarmine, Grzebin had coached her in club volleyball at KIVA. Grzebin recognized the talent and athleticism, but the reason she viewed Kuchenbrod as an All-American-in-waiting went far beyond the surface qualities.

"She was also always the hardest worker in the gym, even before she came to Bellarmine," Grzebin noted. "She set the bar very high for herself, and her teammates. That's why her success doesn't surprise me. It's who she is. She was determined to be that successful and nothing could stop her. It was clear early on that Jordyn had the mind, and determination, to be an elite defender. It was that work ethic and competitive spirit that took her to the next level. She hated to lose. She hated to be out-dug. She was determined to be the best defender on the court every time she was on it. She made her teammates work to be better because of her leadership."

Kuchenbrod recounts Bellarmine's 3-2 triumph over No. 1 Lewis in 2017 — the signature win in a defining season — as a favorite career moment. Individually, one of her fondest recollections came from 2016, when she set the program's three-set record for digs with 40, which remarkably is tied for seventh all-time for any match. The significance of becoming the program's first All-American is not lost on her, with Kuchenbrod saying the esteemed honor "is always something that I will hold onto."

The GLVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2017, Kuchenbrod currently works for Apex Systems as a technical recruiter in Philadelphia, divulging, "I still get to use my competitive drive every day so I do enjoy that."

Before moving to Philadelphia last year, Kuchenbrod was heavily involved with KIVA, coaching and administering private lessons. She's itching for a return to the game if the right opportunity presents itself in "The City of Brotherly Love."

"I definitely want to get back into it," Kuchenbrod said. "I love coaching and sharing my knowledge with younger girls that want to get better and learn and have the same passion as I did growing up."

As for her Bellarmine career, it was simply peerless.

"She's a once-in-a-lifetime kind of player," Grzebin said, "I really believe that." 

Don't doubt her. Remember how Grzebin's last prediction about Kuchenbrod turned out.

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