EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State Vice President and Director of Athletics Alan Haller and volleyball coach Leah Johnson have mutually agreed that Johnson will step down as the program’s head coach, effective immediately.
Johnson leaves Michigan State after three seasons on the Spartan bench.
“Leah Johnson and I have mutually agreed that she will step down as head volleyball coach,” said Haller. “We appreciate her efforts over the last three seasons, and we wish her well in her future endeavors.
“Volleyball is continuing to grow in prominence and exposure, both nationally and here locally as Breslin Center has been home to record crowds the last three seasons. We are committed to finding the right coach to guide Michigan State in the best volleyball conference in the country.”
This past season, Michigan State posted a 13-18 mark, including 6-14 in the Big Ten, including a win over No. 16 USC. MSU twice played in front of home crowds of more than 6,900 fans, as 6,930 witnessed a four-set win over Michigan, and 8,291 were in attendance vs. Nebraska, marking the second-largest crowd in program history.
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 Oct. 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.
In 2023, 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.
Over her three seasons, Johnson’s student-athletes collected 32 Academic All-Big Ten accolades and nine Academic All-District honors. On the court, there were three All-Big Ten and two all-region honorees. In total, she posted a 43-50 mark, including 19-41 in the…
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