In 2021, Newberry returned to the court after a 468-day absence due to COVID-19. The Wolves were on the road for their season opener and they defeated Anderson 3-2. Kessler led the Wolves to a 3-1 win over Wingate on March 6, Newberry's second win over Wingate in program history. The Wolves finished the season with a 4-5 conference record and were the seventh-seed in the conference tournament. Three players earned all-conference honors under Kessler's coaching in 2021. Natasha Bannister won first team honors, Zoe Dinkins was a second team winner and Taylor Hall was on the all-freshman team.  With Kessler's emphasis on the defensive side of the ball, he was able to help, then sophomore, Zoe Dinkins break the school record for total blocks in a game with 13 against Anderson. Dinkins would go on to set the school record for most blocks in a single season with 138. Kessler kept Dinkins on track throughout the season, coaching her to the All-South Atlantic Conference Honorable Mention team. She led the conference in blocks per set with 1.37. With another successful defensive season from Dinkins, Kessler has helped her move into fourth-place for all-time blocks in school history with 258. Kessler spent 2014-2017 in the Division I ranks as an assistant coach. In 2017 he helped Arkansas State to a 21-win season as Offensive Coordinator, overseeing setter and attacker training and development. He spent the 2016 season at Troy coordinating the Trojans' defense while also training the setters, helping six players surpass 120 digs and two players attain 95 blocks. He held the same role at Georgia Southern the previous year, where Eagles' libero Alex Beecher ranked 10th nationally and led the Sun Belt Conference in digs per set while setting a school record for total digs. Kessler began his collegiate coaching career as a volunteer assistant with Kentucky in 2014, where he worked primarily with middles and setters. The Wildcats advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with an overall record of 28-6 and had four players named all-Southeastern Conference. As a student at Butler, Kessler was the starting setter for the schools club volleyball program for four seasons. He spent three seasons as the starting setter at Louisville, Kentuckys Trinity High School, where he led the team to three straight state titles. Kessler graduated from Butler in 2009 with a degree in Economics. He received a Master of Business Administration in 2012 from Bellarmine.