The love of volleyball formed a love beyond the court between two coaches on NIU volleyball’s staff.

Dan and Coley Pawlikowski originally were opponents on the court, but now they work in harmony in life and in their careers.

“I think right when we started coaching together we started coaching club together,” Coley said. “We kind of knew our strengths and weaknesses are different, and we knew we wanted to coach together pretty quickly.”

With Coley working as a Huskie recruiter and Dan training and coaching (primarily) outside hitters and middle blockers, a life dedicated to volleyball is something the couple is happy to share.

Coley admits, during the season, they do not have as much time to go out and play, but she said the two will try and get on a court whenever possible.

During the offseason, the pair tries to get in tournaments on the weekends.

After a regime at North Park University, where Coley and Dan turned the lackluster program into an annual conference contender, the offer to come to NIU enticed the volleyball workaholics.

“Working here is more of a commitment,” Dan said. “It’s not a job and not really a career. We both have dual commitments in our lives: marriage and NIU.”

Coley added that working in athletics is a challenge, but having a relationship in which both partners understand the extent of their work is a blessing.

“I think it’s hard in athletics to be married to anybody else in athletics,” Coley said. “But I think working together is a smooth setout. We understand that if I’m going to be making recruiting phone calls until 11 at night, he doesn’t have any issue with it because he knows that’s what I do. If he’s doing video until 3 a.m., I know that’s what he does.”

Despite almost always being together, Dan and Coley hardly ever argue over decisions on the court.

“There’s never that worry of, ‘I have to get home, I have to do this’ because we get each other very well,” Coley said. “It helps the program, too, because there’s nothing pulling us away from it because we’re here together all the time.”

NIU freshman libero Cheyenne Dawson acknowledged that an outsider looking in at the volleyball program would probably not even know they were married because of their professionalism and dedication.

“They are really good with not arguing a lot,” Dawson said. “Some coaches are a lot bolder, but since they are married, they have to resolve things in a proper manner. On the court, Dan is reserved and Coley voices her opinion more, where Dan will think more about what he is going to say.”

NIU head coach Ray Gooden said that having the married couple on the staff is unique, but having the talent and experience on the staff brings a lot of benefits to the team.

“They both understand each other really well,” Gooden said. “So they’re able to compliment each other as much as possible with their coaching.”