Dave Deuser has been Lewis University's head men's volleyball coach since the Flyers began competing in 1994.
Under Deuser's watch, Lewis' teams have been traditionally characterized by powerful offenses. The Flyers have had several excellent defensive players through the years, but the team's signature has been its firepower.
Deuser admits he hasn't had a distinct offense in his 10 years. He prefers to tailor his offenses to the personnel available. By doing that, the team has run systems that set the ball high and wide with quick sets to the middles, or fast and deceptive ones that rely on timing instead of power.
Deuser believes the key to success is execution through countless numbers of repetitions.
"I'm a coach who prefers to play the percentages," said Deuser. "I analyze what our strengths and weaknesses are, and then use that to determine things like who we set and our serve receive patterns."
Deuser doesn't view percentages as "hard" numbers, however. If play in a game or match--a particular player is on his game that night--dictates a re-evaluation, Deuser fluidly incorporates those new factors into game/match adjustments.
During the 2002 season, Deuser achieved a coaching milestone when he won his 200th career match. He has averaged 23 wins per season during his tenure, and has the NCAA's fourth-highest men's volleyball winning percentage (.691). He also is 14th on the all-time victories list for men's volleyball. All but one of Deuser's teams have won at least 20 matches, and each team has been ranked or received votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association's Top-15 poll.
Deuser also coached his team to Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association titles in 1996 and 1998, enabling the Flyers to receive automatic bids to the four-team NCAA Championship. Lewis tied for the regular-season MIVA crown in 1996 and won the West Division in 1998, but 2001 brought Deuser and the Flyers their first outright MIVA regular-season title.
Deuser was recognized for his accomplishments in 1996 by being selected Volleyball Magazine's Coach of the Year and the Daily Southtown's Sportsman of the Year.
Deuser's coaching career began at Oak Forest Academy, where he served as a student assistant coach for a team that finished 41-0 in 1984. Head coach Don Casey helped Deuser get his playing career started with the Kenneth Allen Volleyball Club. Deuser, a setter, excelled on the court and was named an Amateur Athletics Union All-American.
Deuser's coaching career flourished in 1987 when he served an apprenticeship with the United States Men's National Team that played in the Pan-American Games and toured the United States. A year later, he was named head coach of the Chicago Second City Volleyball Club's 16-elite girls' team, and he became assistant coach of the 18-elite girls' team in 1989. In 1991, Deuser's 16-elite team won the Great Lakes Power League Championship.
Deuser was hired as assistant coach for the Second City boys' team when its program started in 1991, and he was chosen head coach of the 18-elite team the next year. Deuser's 18-elite team won the bronze medal at the 1992 AAU Nationals and was Silver Division runner-up at the 1993 U.S. Volleyball Association Championship.
Deuser also found success as a high school volleyball coach. He worked as a volunteer assistant coach for the Oak Lawn Richards High School girls' team in 1988 and was the school's first junior varsity boys' coach in 1990. After his junior varsity team went 17-3, Deuser was named head varsity boys' coach in 1991. In his first season, Richards was 27-3 and placed second at the Niles North State Invitational Tournament, which served unofficially as the Illinois state tournament in the absence of an Illinois High School Association sanctioned event. Deuser's 1992 team was 41-0 and won the first IHSA boys' volleyball state title.
The boys' volleyball spring schedule enabled Deuser to work as Loyola University Chicago's assistant women's coach in 1991 and 1992 before coming to Lewis.
