RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky University has extended the contract of volleyball head coach
Johnna Bazzani through the 2028 season, Vice President and Director of Athletics
Kyle Moats announced today.
Bazzani is in her seventh season as head coach of the Colonels. Since the start of the 2023 season she has led the team to a 62-27 record.
This season, Bazzani led the team to a 20-8 record and a tie for second place in the Atlantic Sun Conference. She has led the Colonels to 20 or more wins in three straight seasons, the first time the program has accomplished that since 2003, 2004 and 2005.
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 four seasons, the Colonels have won 77 matches combined.
Her building effort culminated in 2023 with one of the best seasons in program history. Bazzani was chosen as the ASUN Conference Coach of the Year after leading the program to: 21 wins, a 13-match winning streak (tied for the longest in program history), the first national postseason tournament appearance since 2004, the first top three conference finish since 2014 and a program record seven straight shutout victories.
Then, in 2024 Bazzani led the team to another 21-win season and a trip to the ASUN Tournament semifinals. It marked the first time EKU has posted back-to-back 20-win campaigns since 2004 and 2005.
Under Bazzani's tutelage,
Josie Schmitendorf was chosen as the 2024 ASUN Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a total of six Colonels earned All-ASUN honors. In addition,
Sarah Mitchell became the first player since 2013 to record more than 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs.
Emilee Hill became the first EKU player since 2018 to record a triple-double.
Carson Ledford's .379 attack percentage is the second-best single season hitting percentage in program history.
The Colonels were just as successful in the classroom. Schmitendorf and Ledford were selected to the Academic All-ASUN Team. Four players earned Academic All-District recognition and the team posted a 3.679 grade-point-average during the fall of 2024, the highest fall GPA on record for the program.
Before the 2024 season, Bazzani was recognized on the national level for the turnaround the program has experienced during her tenure. She was selected to Volleyball Magazine's College Coaching Hotshots List. Bazzani was the only ASUN head coach to be recognized.
In addition to recruiting well at the high school level (Hill, Schmitendorf, Mitchell & Ledford), Bazzani has shown the ability to adapt to the changing landscape of college athletics and utilize the transfer portal to improve the program.
Paige Wagers and
Kambree Lucas transferred to EKU prior to the 2023 season and were key parts to the success of the team for two seasons. Wagers led the conference and ranked among the top-50 players in the nation in blocks in 2024. In 2025
Emersyn Robbins, who posted the second-most kills in Illinois high school history, joined the program from Utah State and
Amanda Mack, a 2-time Under Armour Next MVP, transferred from Cincinnati.
In 2023, four Colonels earned All-ASUN honors and Schmitendorf was chosen to the Academic All-ASUN Team. The offense fired on all cylinders as EKU led the conference in points, hitting percentage, assists and kills. The Colonels were 11th in the nation in assists per set, 12th in kills per set and 29th in aces per set.
In addition to its success on the court, the team has been recognized nationally for its work in the classroom under Bazzani. The Colonels have received an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award each of the past five seasons. In addition, the team earned AVCA Honor Roll distinction as a result of having a team GPA in the top 20 percent in 2022 and 2025.
Bazzani first joined the EKU 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.
