Johnna Bazzani, an honorable mention All-American and two-time Mountain West Conference Setter of the Year, was chosen as Eastern Kentucky University’s head coach in December 2018.
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 two seasons, the Colonels have won 36 matches combined.
Her building effort culminated in 2023 with one of the best seasons in program history. Bazzani was chosen as the Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year after leading the program to: 21 wins (tied for the most since the 2005 season), a 13-match winning streak (tied for the longest in program history), the first national postseason tournament appearance since 2004 (the 2023 NIVC), the first top three conference finish since 2014 and a program record seven straight shutout victories.
Individually, four Colonels were honored for their outstanding performances in 2023. Carson Ledford, Sarah Mitchell, Josie Schmitendorf and AG Vandagriff earned All-ASUN honors. In addition, combined with her athletic success and her accomplishments in the classroom, Schmitendorf was chosen to the Academic All-ASUN Team. Ledford and Mitchell were picked as the ASUN Players of the Week two times each. Schmitendorf garnered ASUN Defensive Player of the Week recognition three times.
The offense fired on all cylinders in 2023 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.
EKU’s program record tying 13-match winning streak began on Sept. 1 with a 3-1 win over Florida Atlantic. The Colonels then set a new program mark by winning their next seven matches by a 3-0 score. The winning streak included four straight league matches to begin the ASUN schedule.
In addition to recruiting well at the high school level, 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. Wagers was second on the team in blocks and hitting percentage. Lucas was second on the team in aces and fourth in kills.
Following the 2023 season, Bazzani was selected to Volleyball Magazine’s College Coaching Hotshots List, the only ASUN Conference head coach to make the list.
In 2022, her fourth season as head coach, Bazzani led the Colonels to the most wins (15) since 2017. The Colonels started the 2022 campaign 5-1, its best start since 2014. During the fall 2021 season, Bazzani’s team improved by eight wins from the season before, and in its first season as a member of the ASUN Conference, the Colonels qualified for the league tournament as the No. 3 seed from the West Division.
In the spring of 2021, Bazzani recruited and coached a first team all-conference freshman for the second straight season. Molly Michalak earned conference player of the week and newcomer of the week after her first two collegiate matches. She went on to lead the team with 184 kills.
In 2019, her first season as head coach, Bazzani improved the win total by four wins from the season before. She picked up her first win as a head coach against Gardner-Webb in a four set victory on Aug. 30.
Bazzani recruited Abby Noll who had one of the best freshman campaigns in the program’s history. Noll won conference newcomer of the week honors four times and was named first team all-conference in 2019. She finished third in league play with 4.12 kills per set and fourth in the conference with 4.37 points per set.
In addition to its success on the court, the team has excelled in the classroom under Bazzani’s guidance. In the summer of 2021, EKU received an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award recognizing the 3.54 cumulative grade-point-average the Colonels posted as a team during the 2020-21 academic year. In the summer of 2022, EKU received another AVCA Team Academic Award and also earned AVCA Honor Roll distinction as a result of having a team GPA in the top 20 percent, one of only 43 NCAA Division I programs to be chosen. During the 2022-23 academic year, the Colonels compiled a 3.59 GPA and earned another AVCA Team Academic Award.
Michalak was selected to the ASUN All-Academic Team in 2022. Michalak joined Katie McKune, Mitchell and Schmitendorf on the 2022 Academic All-District Volleyball Team. In 2023, Ledford, Mitchell, Schmitendorf and Vandagriff were chosen to the Academic All-District Team.
“I am thankful for this opportunity to lead the Eastern Kentucky University volleyball program,” said Bazzani. “I am honored and excited to be the program’s third head coach, and plan to build on the legacy that coach Geri Polvino and coach Lori Duncan establish here over 53 years.”
Bazzani first joined the program as a graduate assistant in 2014. She served as a full time assistant from 2015-2018.
In her first season with the Colonels in 2014, the Redlands, California native helped the team to its first 20-win campaign since 2005 and a third place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference. Bazzani recruited and tutored setter Rachel Woody, the 2016 OVC Freshman of the Year who finished tied for seventh in the nation in triple-doubles.
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 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
She led the Mountain West Conference in assists as a sophomore and finished third as a junior. Bazzani helped San Diego State capture the 2012 conference championship and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. She was chosen as the team MVP as a sophomore and a senior.
After her senior season at San Diego State, Bazzani was selected to participate in the European Global Challenge with the Mountain West All-Star Team. The squad captured the bronze medal at the event.
In November of 2023, Bazzani was one of only two SDSU players selected to the Mountain West 25th Season Volleyball Team.
Bazzani received a bachelor’s of arts in communication from SDSU in 2014 and master’s of science in sport administration from Eastern Kentucky University in 2016. Her and her husband Anthony have two sons – Brayden and Jaxson..
Kendall Murr, who completed her playing career at Mississippi State University in the spring of 2021, joined the EKU program as a graduate assistant coach in August of 2021. In January 2022, Murr was promoted to a full time assistant coaching position.
In 2023, Murr was part of a staff that led the team to: 21 wins (tied for the most since the 2005 season), a 13-match winning streak (tied for the longest in program history), the first national postseason tournament appearance since 2004 (the 2023 NIVC), the first top three conference finish since 2014 and a program record seven straight shutout victories.
Individually, four Colonels were honored for their outstanding performances in 2023. Carson Ledford, Sarah Mitchell, Josie Schmitendorf and AG Vandagriff earned All-Atlantic Sun Conference honors. Combined with her athletic success and her accomplishments in the classroom, Schmitendorf was also chosen to the Academic All-ASUN Team.
Schmitendorf garnered ASUN Defensive Player of the Week recognition three times and ranked second in the league in digs per set.
“I am very excited to have Kendall as part of the EKU volleyball family,” head coach Johnna Bazzani said. “She is a big asset to our program and for the players. Kendall came to us from a Power-5 competitive program and has experience playing in the ASUN, so she is able to help navigate that transition for our players. Kendall helps train our defensive specialists/liberos and oversees marketing and social media.”
In her first season as a full time assistant, Murr helped the Colonels to the most wins since 2017. EKU improved by five wins over the 2021 season. The team started the 2022 campaign 5-1, its best start since 2014. Under Murr’s guidance, Schmitendorf finished eighth in the ASUN in total digs and ninth in digs per set.
During the fall 2021 season, Murr helped the team improve by eight wins from the season before, and in its first season as a member of the ASUN, the Colonels qualified for the league tournament as the No. 3 seed from the West Division. Libero Sydney Schoen ranked second in the ASUN in digs and fifth in digs per set in 2021.
Murr, a defensive specialist, played in 46 sets during the 2020-21 season. She missed the 2019 season due to an injury. In 2018, Murr saw action in 31 matches and started 30 times. The Yorktown, Indiana native led Mississippi State with 413 digs and tied for second on the squad with 15 service aces. She had 10 or more digs in a match 24 times and eclipsed the 20-dig total on three occasions.
Murr began her collegiate playing career at ASUN Conference member Jacksonville University in 2017. She earned a spot on the ASUN All-Freshman Team after contributing 2.28 digs per set and ranking 20th in the conference with 10 aces.
From May to August of 2021, Murr has worked as a child development intern at the T.K. Martin Center.
Murr completed a bachelor’s degree in human development and family sciences at Mississippi State with a 3.90 grade-point-average. She was a member of the Southeastern Conference Honor Roll from 2018 to 2021.
Cassidy Baird, who spent four seasons playing professionally, joined the Eastern Kentucky University volleyball staff as an assistant coach in February of 2023.
In 2023, Baird was part of a staff that led the team to: 21 wins (tied for the most since the 2005 season), a 13-match winning streak (tied for the longest in program history), the first national postseason tournament appearance since 2004 (the 2023 NIVC), the first top three conference finish since 2014 and a program record seven straight shutout victories.
Individually, four Colonels were honored for their outstanding performances in 2023. Carson Ledford, Sarah Mitchell, Josie Schmitendorf and AG Vandagriff earned All-Atlantic Sun Conference honors. Ledford and Mitchell were picked as the ASUN Players of the Week two times each.
The offense fired on all cylinders in 2023 as EKU led the conference in points, hitting percentage, assists and kills. The Colonels were 11th in the nation in assists per set, 13th in kills per set and 29th in aces per set.
“I’m very excited that Cassie is part our staff,” EKU Head Coach Johnna Bazzani said. “Her experiences and success as a player, collegiately and professionally, are helping develop our players and elevate our play in the ASUN.”
Following her collegiate career at the University of Denver, Baird played professionally from 2018 to 2022 in Switzerland, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Finland. In 2021-22, she was chosen as the match MVP seven times and was a two-time players of the month selection while playing for LP Vampula in Huittinen, Finland.
Baird spent the 2022 season as the director of volleyball operations and technical coordinator at the University of North Dakota. She was responsible for logistics and planning of camps, coordinated all travel arrangements, maintained compliance forms, and managed male practice players and student managers. As an interim assistant coach during the spring, she aided in the development of practice plans and assisted in recruiting.
“I am so thankful to coach Bazzani for giving me the opportunity to join the program, and help continue to build upon the incredible culture and promise of EKU volleyball,” said Baird. “The passion and vision she has for the program excited me.”
In 2022, UND had 11 more wins than the season before and nine more conference victories.
In four seasons (2014-2017) as an outside hitter at Denver, Baird helped the team win four Summit League Regular Season Championships, four Summit Tournament Championships and make four NCAA Tournament appearances.
Baird earned honorable mention All-Summit League recognition in 2015 and 2017. She led the team in aces both of those seasons and ranked among the top 100 nationally. As a senior in 2017, Baird was third on the team in kills, digs and points, and fifth in total blocks.
Baird has also gained coaching experience on the club and camp level. She was a camp coach for Denver in 2015, 2016 and 2017. She was an assistant coach for the 18-1s club team in 2016-17, helping the team to a first place finish in the 18 USA Division at the Colorado Crossroads Qualifier in 2017. In 2019 Baird served as a camp coach at Stanford University. During the summers of 2019, 2020 and 2021 she served as a coach for the All-American Volleyball Camps.
The 2017 Summit League Academic All-League selection earned a bachelor’s of science in business administration/international business in June of 2018.
Macy Reihing, who played at Tates Creek High School in Lexington, and collegiately at Ohio University, joined the Eastern Kentucky University volleyball program as assistant coach/director of operations in June of 2023.
In 2023, Reihing was part of a staff that led the team to: 21 wins (tied for the most since the 2005 season), a 13-match winning streak (tied for the longest in program history), the first national postseason tournament appearance since 2004 (the 2023 NIVC), the first top three conference finish since 2014 and a program record seven straight shutout victories.
Individually, four Colonels were honored for their outstanding performances in 2023. Carson Ledford, Sarah Mitchell, Josie Schmitendorf and AG Vandagriff earned All-Atlantic Sun Conference honors. In addition, combined with her athletic success and her accomplishments in the classroom, Schmitendorf was chosen to the Academic All-ASUN Team. Ledford and Mitchell were picked as the ASUN Players of the Week two times each. Schmitendorf garnered ASUN Defensive Player of the Week recognition three times.
“I’m excited to have Macy as part of our staff and program,” EKU Head Coach Johnna Bazzani said. “She came from a great volleyball background and her skill set is helping grow the program.”
Reihing played four seasons at Ohio. As a freshman in 2017, the libero/defensive specialist recorded 484 digs. Her average of 4.14 digs per set ranked ninth in the Mid-American Conference. She tallied 20 or more digs in a match seven times that season, including 32 in a 3-2 win over Bowling Green. During her sophomore season in 2018, Reihing totaled 532 digs and averaged 4.61 per set, ninth-most in the MAC again. She finished with 33 digs against Samford.
In 2019, as a junior Reihing concluded the season with 488 digs. She was eighth in the MAC with 4.77 per set. Her dig totals as a freshman, sophomore and junior ranked as the 10th, seventh and ninth-most respectively in program history during the rally scoring era. She concluded her career with another 194 digs and was third on the team with 12 aces as a senior in 2020.
Reihing helped the Commodores of Tates Creek High School win three straight district championships and to three straight region runner-up finishes.
From July to November 2021, Reihing was the volleyball head coach at Athens Middle School in Athens, Ohio. She has also worked camps through the years at Ohio University and the All-American Volleyball Camps in the Midwest Region.
Reihing earned a bachelor’s degree in communications at Ohio in May 2022. She was a member of the All-MAC Academic Team three times.