AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head volleyball coach Christy Johnson-Lynch has agreed to a new seven-year contract, keeping her at the helm of one of the nation’s most successful volleyball programs through 2019.
“I am so excited about the future of the Iowa State volleyball program,” Johnson-Lynch said. “I feel very lucky and blessed to be part of such a great institution and athletics department. My sincere thanks go out to [Athletics Director] Jamie Pollard and [Senior Associate Athletics Director] Calli Sanders for putting so much support behind me and our program. Their leadership and encouragement, in addition to our incredible fan base, is the reason behind our success the past several years. I love my job, I enjoy the people I work with and work for, and my hope is to continue to build Iowa State volleyball into a national championship contender.”
In eight seasons at Iowa State, Johnson-Lynch has taken a Big 12 team that won just 13 league matches from 1996-2004, to a perennial top-15 powerhouse with seven-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. The Cyclones have advanced to five regional semifinals and two regional finals under Johnson-Lynch, one of just seven teams in the nation to advance to the regional semifinals five times since 2007.
Six Cyclones have earned AVCA All-America honors under Johnson-Lynch, including three top-team awards. In 2012, Iowa State boasted two all-Americans and four first team All-Big 12 members. The team also excelled in the classroom, placing five student-athletes on the Academic All-Big 12 first team and one player on the second team. Senior Jamie Straube became the first Cyclone since 1995 to earn national academic recognition, named to the Capital One Academic All-America second team.
“Christy has a vision and the accompanying game plan to create and sustain a championship level program,” Sanders said. “Her teams have distinguished themselves on the court and in the classroom, and the foundation she built positions us for continued success.”
Full terms of the contract will be available at a later date.
