Maggie Johnson enters her third season at the helm of the Jacksonville volleyball program ahead of the fall 2022 season.
Following a national search for a new head coach, Johnson joined the Dolphins after six seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Ohio University. During her time with the Bobcats, Johnson brought in five nationally recognized recruiting classes by PrepVolleyball.com and recruited multiple All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) Team selections, including the 2019 Player of the Year, 2019 Defensive Player of the Year, 2017 Freshman of the Year, and the 2017 and 2019 Setters of the Year.
"I am pleased to welcome Maggie as our new head volleyball coach," Senior Vice President and Athletic Director
Alex Ricker-Gilbert said. "Maggie values the holistic student-athlete experience and she will be a great fit for the culture we are building. I'm proud of the search led by
Whitney Curtis and I'm excited for Maggie to get here and get to work with the group of young women that are already a part of our program and all of those that will become a part of it."
With Johnson overseeing the Bobcats' academic progress, Ohio saw an increase in team term GPA for four semesters in a row. Additionally, the team earned three AVCA Team Academic Awards (2016, 2018, 2019) and had 24 selections to the All-MAC Academic Team, including 13 MAC Distinguished Scholar Athletes who were in the 20%.
"I am honored to be chosen as the next head coach for the Jacksonville University volleyball program," Johnson said. "I would like to thank President Tim Cost, Alex Ricker-Glibert,
Whitney Curtis and all of the JU Leadership for trusting me with this opportunity. It was clear from our first conversation that the mission and values of the JU athletic department directly aligned with my values as a coach. I am excited to be working in such a passionate, student-athlete centered department. It is a privilege to be able to return to coach in the ASUN, after having a great experience as a player in the conference. I am fired-up to start working with our student-athletes and build a culture of excellence here at Jacksonville."
Along with her recruiting and academic oversight duties, Johnson trained liberos, serve receive, and team defense; served as the team's compliance liaison; and prepared scouting reports, organized community service opportunities, and increased the Bobcats' summer camps from 60 to 250 campers over a four-year period. Under her direction, Ohio's team defense was ranked among the nation's top 15 in opponent hitting percentage (2014 – 14th; 2015 – 3rd). Additionally, Johnson mentored the 2014 MAC Defensive Player of the Year as well as the program's single-season and career leader in digs.
"I'm excited to welcome Maggie to the Dolphin family," Associate Athletic Director for Marketing
Whitney Curtis said. "We had an excellent pool of candidates, but Maggie proved to be the obvious fit to lead our volleyball program into the future. She comes to Jacksonville with a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of what it is going to take to be successful in the ASUN and beyond. She will be a tremendous leader for our student-athletes."
For the past two summers (2018 and 2019), Johnson also served as a youth girls head coach for Ohio Valley Region High Performance Team – a role she held for the 2018 and 2019 USA Championships. During her first season, Johnson's team finished third overall with a 6-3 record; most recently she led her team to a perfect 8-0 record, including a 24-0 set record. Johnson also gained experience as a head coach with Lexington United (2013-14), Alliance Volleyball Club (2010-12), and as a camp coach with Belmont University volleyball (2009-11) and Great Lakes Volleyball Center (2007-11).
Prior to her time at Ohio, Johnson spent the 2013 season as an assistant coach training outside hitters, serve receive, and team defense at Division III Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. Johnson's impact was immediate as the team finished in the top 10 in program history in 17 different statistical categories. Responsible for travel budget and scouting reports, Johnson also assisted in program recruiting efforts and helped incoming players navigate the admissions and financial aid process. With her guidance, two players received HCAC Defensive Player of the Week honors, as well as two HCAC All-Conference Honorable Mention selections and one HCAC All-Freshman Team honoree.
No stranger to the ASUN Conference, Johnson spent her collegiate career at Belmont University – then a member of the ASUN – where she was the 2011 ASUN Co-Player of the Year, 2011 ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and four-time All-ASUN selection. A two-year team captain, Johnson also earned AVCA South Region Honorable Mention All-American accolades and was named to the COBRA Magazine All-Southeast Region in 2011. She finished her playing career as Belmont's single season record holder for kills during the rally scoring era and ranks second for career kills during that time. As a senior, Johnson also ranked among the top 10 in the NCAA for kills per set.
Currently a member of the AVCA Diversity Development Team, Johnson was a 2013 recipient of the AVCA Minority Coaches Scholarship and a 2017 invitee to the AVCA Minority Coaches Forum. Additionally, she earned both her SafeSport Certification and USA Volleyball IMPACT Certification in 2018.
A 2012 graduate of Belmont, Johnson earned her bachelor's degree cum laude in exercise science before she completed her master's in curriculum and instruction from Denver in 2013.
