ISU Volleyball Coach Christy Johnson-Lynch Receives Contract Extension

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head volleyball coach Christy Johnson-Lynch will enter her 20^th season leading the Cyclone program with a new contract, ISU Senior Associate Athletics Director Dr. Calli Sanders announced today. Her new contract will run through December 31, 2028.

"Christy Johnson-Lynch has built our volleyball program into the national contender that it is, and it continues to sustain a level of academic and athletic excellence," Sanders said. "She has invested in the sport, not only at the institutional level, but has been a leader and advocate for volleyball on the national stage. We are thrilled to keep her and her family in Ames for the foreseeable future and look forward to watching her continue to build upon her past successes."

The two-time American Volleyball Coaches Central Region Coach of the Year guided the 2023 Cyclones to a 20-10 overall record, a fourth-place finish in the Big 12 Conference (11-7) and the program's 17^th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance, 16 of which have come under her direction. It marked ISU's 10^th 20-win season under Johnson-Lynch's leadership, and second-straight, while it was the 14^th time that Iowa State totaled double-digit league win totals in her tenure.

All-told, Johnson-Lynch owns 370-201 (.648) career record in her 19 seasons on the Cyclone bench, including a 203-104 record in Big 12 play. Prior to her arrival in Ames, ISU was 13-167 in Big 12 play from 1996-2004. She has coached 15 student-athletes to 27 AVCA All-America awards, while 28 Cyclones have earned 53 All-Big 12 honors. ISU had not produced an All-American or All-Big 12 student-athlete before Sanders introduced Johnson-Lynch as the Cyclones head coach on December 17, 2004.

"In continuing to lead the Iowa State Volleyball program, I am extremely grateful for the support and confidence of Dr. Calli Sanders and Jamie Pollard," Johnson-Lynch said. "I am fortunate to work in one of the nation's best athletic departments, and live and raise a family in a community I love. The support, Cyclone Nation, and the wonderful community we are a part of here in Ames is what every coach hopes for. I'm so excited for the next several years as we continue to make Iowa State one of the best places for volleyball in the country."

In 2023, Nayeli Gonzalez became the program's 15^th All-American, as she earned honorable mention AVCA status in addition to being tabbed as the AVCA Midwest Freshman of the Year, landing a first-team spot on both the All-Region and All-Big 12 teams, and earning Big 12 Rookie of the Year honors. She became the first freshman in program history to earn All-America or first-team All-Big 12 status.

With on-court success has come the Cyclone Nation. Hilton Coliseum is no longer just the home of elite basketball and wrestling programs, as the ISU volleyball program boasts one of the nation's top game-day environments thanks to Johnson-Lynch and ISU's success. Iowa State set the highest season attendance in school history in 2022 with an average of 2,991 fans per match, as the program ranked second in the Big 12 and 10^th nationally while producing two Top 10 Hilton Coliseum crowds.

Iowa State's successes have not been limited to the court, as Johnson-Lynch's Cyclones have also been classroom stars. The Cyclones have put 87 student-athletes on Academic All-Big 12 teams including a program-record 12 honorees in 2020 when 11 players made the first team. Iowa State was the first Big 12 program to ever put at least 10 student-athletes on an Academic All-Big 12 volleyball team in a single season.

Johnson-Lynch has also earned the respect of her peers. Johnson-Lynch concluded a two-year stint as President of the American Volleyball Coaches Association in 2016-17. She served on the AVCA Board of Directors in 2018 in the role of "Past President."

Before taking over the Cyclone program, Johnson-Lynch's playing and coaching career brought her in touch with some of the game's greatest coaches, including Terry Pettit, her coach while playing at Nebraska, current Nebraska head coach John Cook and Wisconsin head coach Pete Waite. She coached in the 2000 NCAA Division I Championship match and has coached in five regional finals (two at ISU; three at Wisconsin).

Her NCAA Tournament experience dates to her collegiate playing career at Nebraska. She earned All-America honors for the Huskers in 1994 and 1995. Johnson-Lynch was the starting setter on the 1995 Nebraska team that won the school's first NCAA championship. The Huskers made four NCAA tournament appearances and won three Big Eight titles during Johnson-Lynch's collegiate career. In her junior and senior campaigns in Lincoln, Johnson-Lynch led Nebraska to a 63-2 mark, the second-best winning percentage of any setter in Nebraska history. The Huskers were a perfect 24-0 in Big Eight play during that span and captured two Big Eight crowns.

Johnson-Lynch was also named to the 1995 NCAA Championship all-tournament team, the 1994 and 1995 NCAA Regional all-tournament team and the 1994 and 1995 Big Eight Conference all-tournament teams. In addition to her athletic honors, Johnson-Lynch was a 1995 second-team academic All-American and a three-time All-Big Eight academic honoree.

A 1996 graduate of Nebraska with a bachelor's degree in education, Johnson-Lynch spent one year coaching at Millard North High School in her hometown of Omaha, Neb. She also served as a coach in the River City Juniors Volleyball Club program for two years.

Johnson-Lynch is married to ISU Assistant Coach Joe Lynch, and the couple has two children, Jamison and Addison.