Brooklyn, NY----Announced by Brooklyn College Director of Athletics, Erik Smiles, David Pettker was recently hired to take over as Head Coach of the Men's Volleyball program.  Pettker arrives at Brooklyn with an abundance of playing and coaching experience at some of the highest levels of the sport.  He will take over a team that is coming off of one of its most successful seasons in recent history, closing out the 2026 campaign with a 14-8 record.  

Pettker brings more than three decades of coaching experience at the collegiate and scholastic levels, having worked with successful volleyball programs across the country while developing student-athletes both on and off the court.

"We had a great field of candidates and David is someone who increasingly stood out as the interview process unfolded as a coach that would be dedicated to growing our program competitively while providing a great student-athlete experience to these young men," said Smiles.  "He has a great wealth of volleyball knowledge and continuously expressed his passion for developing himself as a coach, his players and the overall program."

Pettker currently serves as an assistant coach for the girls' varsity volleyball team at Trinity School in New York City, where he has been a member of the coaching staff since 2021. During his time at Trinity, he has played an integral role in practice planning, player development, and game management. In addition to his volleyball responsibilities, he has also served as the head coach of the boys' golf team and head coach of the boys' junior varsity basketball team.

Prior to Trinity, Pettker accumulated an impressive coaching résumé that includes stops at The Dalton School, Northwood High School, Corona del Mar High School, and Irvine High School in California. As head coach at Northwood High School, he led the boys' volleyball program to a CIF Playoff appearance in 2006. His coaching experience also includes assisting championship-caliber teams at Corona del Mar High School, which captured the 2005 CIF Division II Championship, and Irvine High School, where the program won the 2004 Orange County Tournament Division II Championship and reached the CIF Playoffs in consecutive seasons.

At the collegiate level, Pettker served as a graduate assistant at Ohio State University from 1994-95, assisting with practice planning, game preparation, opponent scouting, and player development. Following his playing career at Division I University of California,Irvine, he served as a volunteer assistant coach where he helped support the Anteaters' volleyball program through practice preparation and skill development initiatives.

"I am grateful to Brooklyn College for the opportunity to lead the Men's Volleyball Team," Pettker would comment. "I look forward to working with the team and developing a program that the players, alumni and school can be proud of." 

Pettker's professional background extends beyond athletics and includes extensive experience in education, leadership, and management. Since 2007, he has served as a Social Studies teacher at Life Sciences Secondary School in New York City, where he teaches United States History and World Studies courses while developing curriculum, assessments, and instructional programming that support student success. Prior to relocating to New York, he taught at Northwood High School in Irvine, California, where he was responsible for classroom instruction, curriculum development, and student mentorship.

In addition to his work in education, Pettker spent several years in the marketing and event management industries. As an Account Supervisor for BDS Marketing, he managed national retail marketing initiatives for Cingular Wireless, overseeing account managers, field personnel, and multimillion-dollar budgets. Earlier in his career, he served as an Account Director with Event Management & Promotions (EMP), where he directed promotional campaigns and managed major corporate accounts including Sony PlayStation, General Mills, Nestlé, Kellogg's, and Foster Farms.

Coach Pettker earned a Teaching Credential from the University of California, Irvine in 2004. He also holds a Master of Arts in Sport Management from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of California, Irvine.