Volleyball
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Phone Number:
- 353-1756
Leah Johnson is entering her third season at the helm of the Michigan State volleyball program in 2024.
Johnson led the Spartans to 17 victories in 2023, the most by the MSU volleyball program since 2019. MSU's nine conference wins were the most since 2017. On October 28, 2023, Johnson and the Spartans defeated No. 13-ranked Penn State (3-2) which marked MSU's first home win over a nationally ranked opponent since 2017. Johnson coached a pair of All-B1G honorees in 2023 with senior middle blocker Amani McArthur and freshman outside hitter Taylah Holdem earning second team designations. Holdem was also named to the B1G All-Freshmen team. It was MSU's first season with multiple postseason award winners since 2017.Â
Michigan State set new program bests in attendance with over 61,000 fans attending matches at the Breslin Center, ranking No. 6 nationally in cumulative home attendance with an average of 4,090 fans per match. Michigan State's 8,789 fans against Nebraska on Oct. 6, 2023 set a new program record.
In her first season in East Lansing, Johnson led the Spartans to the most wins (13) by a first year head coach since Annelies Knoppers in 1974. The Spartans set a then all-time single-game attendance record in just her first season with 7,326 fans in attendance on Oct. 14, 2022. MSU broke the previous mark of 6,828 set in 2016.
Prior to becoming a Spartan, Johnson directed the Illinois State program from 2017-2021, guiding the Redbirds to a 104-53 record and five postseason appearances, including four straight NCAA Tournaments, marking the longest streak at ISU in nearly four decades (1982-85). Under Johnson's guidance, Illinois State finished in the top three in the Missouri Valley Conference all five seasons, including winning the regular-season conference championship in 2018 and 2020 (played in spring 2021). The Redbirds also won three straight MVC Tournament titles from 2019-2021.
With the youngest team in the MVC, Johnson led ISU to a 19-14 overall record in 2021, including a 13-5 conference mark to place second in the regular-season standings. In MVC action, the Redbirds won eight straight matches, including 17 straight sets. During the win streak, Johnson recorded her 100th victory as a Redbird – reaching the mark in just 150 matches. In the postseason, ISU defeated No. 1 seeded Loyola in five sets to capture a third straight MVC Tournament title, rallying from a 2-0 set deficit.
Johnson was named the 2021 AVCA North Region Coach of the Year. Her squad finished the season ranked in the Top 10 in the NCAA in total kills and total assists. Four different Redbirds were recognized with All-Conference honors, including three on the All-MVC First Team. Tamara Otene was named MVC Player of the Year, while Kaity Weimerskirch was named the Libero of the Year. Otene also earned all-region and AVCA All-America Honorable Mention honors, marking the third time a Redbird earned All-America honors under Johnson.
In 2020-21 Illinois State captured both the MVC regular-season and tournament titles. ISU went 16-6, including 11-3 in MVC action. The first of the three straight MVC Tournament titles came in 2019 as ISU became the first ever No. 3 seed to win the crown in the six-team format. In 2018, the Redbirds earned an at-large appearance in the NCAA Tournament, finishing the year with a 25-8 mark and capturing the regular-season MVC title. Johnson made an immediate impact as Illinois State's coach, leading her team to a 22-13 mark in 2017.
Individually, Redbird student-athletes excelled under Johnson's direction. In addition to Otene's All-America honors in 2021, Courtney Pence earned All-America accolades in 2017 and 2018. Five different Redbirds collected a total of eight AVCA All-Region honors over her five seasons, while 13 different players combined for 20 All-MVC honors, including 14 first-team honors. In the classroom, seven student-athletes combined for 11 appearances on the MVC Scholar Athlete First Team.Â
Prior to her stint at Illinois State, Johnson spent six seasons as head coach at SIU-Edwardsville where she was named the Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 2016 after leading the Cougars to the OVC tournament championship game. Johnson guided SIUE through its transition from Division II to Division I, directing the Cougars to a top 100 RPI finish in 2016.
Johnson was a standout student-athlete at Missouri State, serving as team captain and helping guide the Bears to four straight seasons with 20 or more wins. She excelled on the court, ranking among Missouri State's all-time and single-season digs leaders, and in the classroom, as she was named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team and served as a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative. In 2019 the Missouri State University volleyball program was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
She holds two degrees from Missouri State, earning a bachelor's degree in 2004 and a master's degree in 2006.
Johnson is married to A.J. Weissler and the couple has three children, Edith, PJ and Roz.
