RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky University extended the contract of head volleyball coach Johnna Bazzani.  The agreement with Bazzani now runs through the 2026 season.
 
Bazzani just concluded her fifth season as the Colonels' head coach.  She was chosen as the Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year after leading the team to:  21 wins (tied for the most since the 2005 season), a 13-match winning streak (tied for the longest in program history), the first national postseason tournament appearance since 2004 (the 2023 NIVC), the first top three conference finish since 2014 and a program record seven straight shutout victories.
 
"The effective recruiting, staff development, fan engagement, competitive success, and overall upward trajectory of EKU volleyball are reflective of the leadership of coach Bazzani and the momentum that she has created, along with her staff and student-athletes, with their efforts," Vice President and Director of Athletics Matt Roan said.  "I am incredibly proud of the way this program has continued to compete.  I'm excited to watch us move forward together and contend for championships and postseason opportunities."
 
"I would like to thank President Dr. David McFaddin and Matt Roan for believing in me, and the vision I have for the EKU volleyball program," said Bazzani.  "I am excited to be leading the charge of this program and building a legacy here at EKU.  Richmond and EKU are home for my family, and I can't wait to continue to build upon the success we had this year."
 
As Bazzani worked to build the foundation for a championship caliber program, EKU won 11 matches combined her first two seasons as head coach.  In the past two seasons, the Colonels have won 36 matches combined.
 
Her building effort culminated in the outstanding 2023 season, one of the best seasons in program history.  In addition to the team success, individually four Colonels were honored for their outstanding performances this past season.  Carson Ledford, Sarah Mitchell, Josie Schmitendorf and AG Vandagriff earned All-ASUN honors.  In addition, combined with her athletic success and her accomplishments in the classroom, Schmitendorf was chosen to the Academic All-ASUN Team.  Ledford and Mitchell were picked as the ASUN Players of the Week two times each.  Schmitendorf garnered ASUN Defensive Player of the Week recognition three times.
 
The offense fired on all cylinders in 2023 as EKU led the conference in points, hitting percentage, assists and kills.  The Colonels were 12th in the nation in assists per set, 14th in kills per set and 29th in aces per set.
 
EKU's program record tying 13-match winning streak began on Sept. 1 with a 3-1 win over Florida Atlantic.  The Colonels then set a new program mark by winning their next seven matches by a 3-0 score.  The winning streak included four straight league matches to begin the ASUN schedule.
 
In 2022, Bazzani led the Colonels to the most wins (15) since 2017.  The Colonels started the 2022 campaign 5-1, its best start since 2014.  Academically, EKU had an outstanding fall as well.  Molly Michalak capped her junior season by being selected to the ASUN All-Academic Team.  Michalak joined Katie McKune, Mitchell and Schmitendorf on the 2022 Academic All-District Volleyball Team.  The team compiled a 3.72 GPA in the fall of 2022 with seven players earning a 4.0.
 
While working to improve the success of the program on the court, academic success has been evident since the beginning of Bazzani's tenure.  In the summer of 2021, EKU received an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award recognizing the 3.54 cumulative grade-point-average the Colonels posted as a team during the 2020-21 academic year.  In the summer of 2022, EKU received another AVCA Team Academic Award and also earned AVCA Honor Roll distinction as a result of having a team GPA in the top 20 percent, one of only 43 NCAA Division I programs to be chosen.  During the 2022-23 academic year, the Colonels compiled a 3.59 GPA and earned another AVCA Team Academic Award.
 
This week four Colonels – Ledford, Mitchell, Schmitendorf and Vandagriff – were selected to the 2023 Academic All-District Volleyball Team.
 
In 2019, her first season as head coach, Bazzani improved the win total by four from the season before.  During the fall 2021 season, her team improved by eight wins from the previous season, and in its first season as a member of the ASUN Conference, the Colonels qualified for the league tournament as the No. 3 seed from the  West Division.  Bazzani recruited and coached two players in back-to-back seasons who earned first team all-conference honors as freshmen.  As head coach, she has tutored a total of six all-conference selections.
 
Bazzani first joined the program as a graduate assistant in 2014.  She served as a full time assistant from 2015-2018.

At San Diego State University, Bazzani was a two-time All-Mountain West Conference selection and was chosen as the league's setter of the year twice.  Following her junior season, Bazzani earned honorable mention All-America honors and was an All-West Region selection by the AVCA.  Bazzani helped San Diego State capture the 2012 conference championship and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.  She was chosen as the team MVP as a sophomore and a senior.