We finally have the top 4 names! As Pittsburgh, Louisville, Nebraska, and Penn State march ahead to battle it out for the NCAA Women’s Volleyball title this season, the rest of the teams are perhaps reeling with their losses — or at the very least, reflecting on what went wrong. But some are already acting upon it, taking momentous decisions before the next season unfurls.

One such side is Michigan State. Yes! The Spartans are looking at a big change, one that can be progressive or a fix-up of the past cracks. However, one thing is sure, the fans are divided over it. Many are wondering if MSU is stepping on the wrong foot in haste or if this change is needed. But what’s happening?

Well, the latest news incoming is that MSU women’s volleyball head coach, Leah Johnson, and the MSU vice president and director of Athletics, Alan Haller have mutually agreed that Johnson will be stepping down from her program duties, with immediate effect. After three seasons with the Spartans, Johnson is ready to part with the side for a reason that still remains unknown.

All we know is that the Spartans are trying to keep up with the surging level of the competition. “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,” Haller remarked.

Well, it looks like a performance-driven call as of now. Maybe the side wasn’t happy with what Johnson brought to the table. Nonetheless, Haller’s bidding words for Coach Johnson were rather cordial. “We appreciate her efforts over the last three seasons, and we wish her well in her future endeavors.” But, all this is hardly settled in well with the fans. Let’s look at how they’re responding to the change.

Volleyball fans are sitting on the fence over Michigan’s decision

There have been strong reactions coming in ever since Michigan State announced this change. Upset about the call, a fan wrote, “Sorry to hear this. We enjoyed Coach Leah! Best of luck to her!” Since 2022, Coach Leah Johnson has held onto the reigns of MSU women’s volleyball and she’s done that rather brilliantly! That season, she announced her arrival in style by leading MSU to the most wins by a first-year volleyball head coach since 1974. Plus, there was a versatile improvement — with more kills, more digs, and fewer setting errors.

With time, Jonson went on to unfurl magic! In 2023, the Spartans picked 17 wins throughout the season, which was the most they had since 2023. And 9 of them were conference wins, a number that again was the highest since 2017. Also, there was a visible rise in their fandom, as MSU volleyball set a new program best in attendance with over 61,000 fans attending matches at the Breslin Center. Looks like it was all going well. So what possibly happened?

Well, the answer to that remains unknown. But a fan chimed in with an opinion. They write, “Fair, feel like they should have been better this year than they were.“ Another one said, “In all honesty as a season ticket holder, I was disappointed in her coaching and direction of the program. It is a very tough conference granted, but we need a dynamic coach and recruiter. She just didn’t seem to be moving the dial.” Well, looking at the statistics this season, the fans’ judgments appear somewhat right.

This season, Michigan State volleyball posted a 13-18 record, including 6-14 in the Big Ten. While these numbers are quite average, they managed to bag a big win over No. 16 USC, which can be counted as one of their achievements. Moreover, 8,291 were in attendance when they played Nebraska, marking the second-largest crowd in program history.

However, there seemed enough confidence in coach Leah Johnson’s coaching methods. She had opened up on taking it one win at a time, while also expressing great pride in her strategies, communication, and quality execution. In agreement with this, one of the fans said, “Dumb decision! Things were starting clicking for them toward the end of the season. They better have a big name coach lined up!” Indeed, Johnson leaves behind big shoes to fill.

But one of the fans feels this decision could have waited as change doesn’t happen over a few seasons. “Wow that wasn’t enough time to build a program,” they wrote. This is true. Changes do take time when you wish to see them on a team level. Let’s take the Pittsburgh Panthers as an example. In 2013, when Coach Dan Fisher joined Pitt volleyball, their program was in dire need of a revamp. Imagine, they hadn’t made it to a single NCAA tournament since 2004. However, it took him the next ten years to bring that change. In the meantime, he led them to six ACC titles and multiple appearances in the Elite Eight and Final Fours.

Well, such a similar trajectory could have also been possible for Coach Leah Johnson and the Spartans. However, the decision is made and all the fans can do is hope for an upward rise.! What do you think of this call? Let us know below!