LEXINGTON, Ky. – Illinois State Head Volleyball Coach Leah Johnson earned her first career American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Regional Coach of the Year honor after guiding the Redbirds to a third-consecutive Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title and fourth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
Joining Johnson with recognition from the AVCA is sophomore outside hitter Tamara Otene, who earned her first career All-North Region honor.
ABOUT JOHNSON
The young Redbird squad finished with a 19-14 overall record and a 13-5 record in conference action under Johnson's leadership. During MVC play, Johnson coached the Redbirds to eight-straight match wins and 17-straight set wins (including five-straight three-set sweeps), which is tied for the fifth-most consecutive set wins in school history and the most set wins in a row since 2014 when ISU won 20 straight.
Illinois State's winning streak this season helped Johnson to reach a major career milestone, winning her 100th match as the head coach at Illinois State. Johnson reached 100 wins in just 150 matches, which is tied for the third-fastest Illinois State head coach to reach 100 wins. Only ISU Hall of Famer Linda Herman and Sandy Lynn have reached 100 wins faster, while Johnson joins ISU Hall of Famer Julie Morgan in reaching 100 wins in 150 matches.
The 'Birds have posted 12-consecutive winning seasons with the last five coming under Johnson. In all five years Johnson has been at the helm of the program, Illinois State has made a post-season appearance, including four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. With this season's bid, the Redbirds have made the NCAA Tournament four years in a row for the first time since 1982-1985.
Since Johnson took over in 2017, the Redbirds have finished in the top-three in MVC regular season play every season, winning the Valley regular season title in both 2018 and 2020. ISU has won three-straight MVC Tournament titles, becoming the first team to win back-to-back-to-back titles since UNI in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Previously, Illinois State had not won three-consecutive tournament titles since 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985 when they won four-straight.
What Johnson and the Redbirds have accomplished this season is remarkable, guiding the youngest team in the Missouri Valley Conference and one of the youngest teams in the NCAA Tournament to the national stage yet again. Johnson's Redbird team ranked among the best in the NCAA all season long with ISU ranking in the top-25 in the nation in multiple categories this season, ranking as high as second in kills and assists at one point.
Wrapping up only her fifth season as a head coach in the Missouri Valley Conference, Johnson has already established herself as one of the best coaches in league history. In MVC matches, Johnson ranks sixth all-time with a winning percentage of .755 in conference action. Her 65 wins in conference play are the 14th-most wins by a Valley head coach all-time. With an overall winning percentage of .662 (104-53) in her career at Illinois State, Johnson is seventh all-time among MVC coaches and second among active coaches, trailing only UNI's Bobbi Peterson whose winning percentage of .732 (530-194) is second all-time in conference history.
ABOUT OTENE
The Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year is not only the best player in the Valley, she's also one of the best in the nation, ranking 14th in the NCAA with 486 kills and 18th in the NCAA with 540 total points, entering the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. Otene finished with a record-tying 494 kills, the most ever recorded by a Redbird sophomore to join Cathy Olson who also finished with 494 in the 1982 season.
Of Otene's 494 kills this season, 305 came during a tough MVC schedule, where she set two 2021 conference match-highs for kills. In a five-set match against Indiana State, Otene posted a then-career-high 26 kills and then outperformed herself yet again at Loyola Chicago in a four-set match, notching a now career-best 27 kills. Otene has finished with 10+ kills in 27 of ISU's 32 matches this season, including seven times with 20+ kills in a single match. On 22 different occasions, Otene had a match-high number of kills for the Redbirds this season, most recently in the semifinals round of the MVC Tournament against Indiana State.
The Auckland, New Zealand native, has also recorded five double doubles during the 2021 season. Leading the next closest player by 34 kills, Otene ended the regular season with the most total kills in the MVC with 305 in league play, averaging a conference best 4.49 kills/set. She also led the Valley with 340 points during conference action, averaging 5.00 per set, the only player to average five per set. Otene became the eighth Redbird and first since 2014 to earn the title of MVC Player of the Year. In addition to being named the MVC Player of the Year, Otene also earned a spot on the All-MVC First Team and the MVC Championship All-Tournament Team.
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