Assistant Coach of UTEP volleyball, Courtney Johnson has been recognized with the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s prestigious Thirty Under 30 Award, recognizing some of the top young coaching talent in the country.
Via UTEP Athletics
It is a big year for the AVCA’s Thirty Under 30 program, which was created in 2009. The branding is receiving a fresh look, and you will see new logos as the awards are announced. Additionally, a new category will launch this October—Thirty Over 30. These awards will recognize coaches with 30 years of AVCA membership and those who have been coaching volleyball for 30 years.
“I just want to thank everyone who made it possible to receive this honor, especially Ben Wallis for nominating me and pushing me to be my best every day,” Johnson said. “I’d also like to thank the AVCA committee and all previous Thirty Under 30 winners who have paved the way for us, as there are many that I have looked up to and been inspired by each year who are honored. I can only hope that awards like this one serve as a reminder of why we coach and can continue to grow the sport in every way because we are all better for it.”
Johnson joined UTEP volleyball as an assistant coach in January 2022. In her first season, the Miners finished 10-4 in Conference USA, the best winning percentage (.714) in a 10-league-win season and second-best overall (.929, 13-1 Oil Country, 1984). UTEP swept its competition with four of the 10 wins. UTEP locked in the No. 3 seed for the C-USA Championship tournament after closing out conference play with three straight wins. In the quarterfinals of the C-USA Championships versus Rice, the Miners issued six service aces, breaking the previous season record for service aces (226). The following week, UTEP put up 11 more aces to cap the season with a school record of 240. UTEP recorded a season-high 17 service aces versus South Dakota during the Borderland Invitational to tie the all-time high in a five-set match. UTEP’s defense was unmatched in the 2022 season in block assists. The Miners set a school record with 34 blocks in a five-set match against North Texas.
