Dan Meske, head coach at Augustana and former Nebraska assistant, begins his first year as the associate head coach for Cardinal volleyball at the University of Louisville.

“I am beyond thrilled to welcome Dan and Laurel Meske to the UofL family,” said Louisville head coach Dani Busboom Kelly. “I worked with Dan for three years at Nebraska and have always regarded him as one of the most talented coaches in the country. He has played and coached at the highest levels and will be a huge asset to our defensive system as well as recruiting. Dan has the ability to make others around him better players and better people. I can’t wait to get to work with Dan by my side.”

Meske served as head coach at Augustana and led the Vikings to a 45-17 record over the last two seasons. This year, the Vikings made their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2008, finishing the year at 27-6. Augustana won its first NCAA Tournament game since 2006 with a first-round victory over Nebraska-Kearney on Dec. 1. His team concluded the season ranked eighth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top-25 and ended 2016 being ranked in the AVCA Top-10, for 10 straight weeks. Tahlyr Banks was named NSIC Libero of the Year for the Vikings. In all, he coached 16 Academic All-NSIC honorees and 5 All-NSIC Selections.

“My family and I are incredibly thankful to be part of Louisville volleyball,” said Meske. “I’d like to thank Tom Jurich, Christine Herring and, of course, Dani Busboom Kelly for this amazing opportunity. Dani is one of the greatest coaches I have ever had the pleasure to work with and it’s an honor to be working with her once again. I am anxious to start working towards our ambitious goals for the future of Louisville volleyball.”

In 2015, Meske guided the Vikings to an 18-11 overall record and an 11-9 record in the NSIC including a berth in the NSIC Conference tournament. He made winning at home a point of emphasis for his team that year, going 11-3 in the Elmen Center. During the 2015 season, Meske led both Ashley Wilson and Tahlyr Banks to second team All-NSIC honors. Banks set a school record for digs in a match with 50 against Washburn which was also the best mark in Division II.

Meske spent eight seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Nebraska as a graduate assistant, volunteer assistant and a full-time assistant coach. He was in charge of coordinating the Huskers' blocking defense as well as video scouting, team managers and assisting with camps. He worked primarily with Nebraska's middle blockers.

In his eight seasons at Nebraska, the Huskers compiled a record of 216-44 and won three Big 12 Championships, a Big Ten Championship and made eight NCAA Tournament appearances. Meske also helped oversee the inauguration and emergence of the Huskers' sand volleyball program and helped the team become a top-10 program in just its third year in existence.

In junior volleyball, Meske worked as a club camp coach for Sports Performance Volleyball Club in Chicago from 2004 to 2009. He led his Sports Performance 16s team to a club silver medal in the 2009 AAU National Championships and in 2012, Meske led his Nebraska 14s team to an open silver medal in the 2012 AAU National Championships.

Meske is a 2007 graduate of Ohio State University where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in construction management. He played four seasons for Coach Pete Hanson, appearing in 117 career matches for the Buckeyes and helping OSU to a national semifinal appearance in 2005. Ohio State won 88 matches and a pair of Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association titles during his career. He was a three-time academic All-Big Ten selection and a four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete during his collegiate career.

Meske, a native of Willow Springs, Ill., spent one season playing professionally in Indonesia, helping BNI Taplus Volleyball to a regular-season title and a national runner-up finish in 2008.

He received his master's degree in leadership and development from Nebraska in 2010.

Dan and his wife, Laurel, are the parents of one son, Ryne. read more...