Daniel Coates became Lake Forest College first head men's volleyball coach in the summer of 2025.
Coates joined the Foresters after two seasons as a graduate assistant at Concordia University Chicago, where he served as the staff's recruiting coordinator, produced scouting reports, developed corrective exercise programs for players, and helped formulate practice plans. The Cougars tied for fifth place in the 13-team Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference in 2025 and had a program-best three All-NACC selections on the roster. Coates coached the league's leader in kills and points by a freshman in 2024 and the team's setter became the first in program history to surpass 2,000 career assists.
In addition to his position at the College, Coates is a head coach for MOD Volleyball 18 and provides individualized instruction and creates practice plans for one of 18 national teams. He also has experience at the club level with Borderline Volleyball Club in Oxford, Ohio, where he worked with the program's top 16s team.
Coates earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 2023. He served as president of the school's club volleyball program and ran the largest home tournament in Miami Club Volleyball history. He was also a practice assistant for the women's varsity team for three years.
He later earned his master's degree in applied exercise science from Concordia Chicago.
Coates continues to play semi-professionally for the DuPage Drakes in the Volleyball League of America.
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