The Big Ten, which has two teams — Nebraska and Penn State — in the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship, made its news off the court Monday.
In a surprise move, Michigan State and coach Leah Johnson “have mutually agreed that Johnson will step down as the program’s head coach, effective immediately.”
And more surprising is that Purdue, which finished fourth in the conference this seasson and advanced to the NCAA Tournament round of 16, is going to need some new players: Its two outsides, Big Ten first-teamer Eva Hudson and second-teamer Chloe Chicoine, are in the transfer portal along with middle Lourdes Myers.
There were other player moves, too: NCAA kills leader Caylen Alexander of Hawai’i is transferring to Missouri and Ohio State’s Emmi Sellman is going to Penn State.
These are strange times.
And this is a potpourri edition of Volleyball Today that includes news from USA Volleyball and our report on American women playing internationally:
Michigan State needs a volleyball coach
Michigan State, which finished 13-18 this season, 6-14 in the Big Ten, put out a fairly complimentary news release about third-year Johnson’s exit, including that, “This past season, Michigan State posted a 13-18 mark, including 6-14 in the Big Ten, including a win over No. 16 USC. MSU twice played in front of home crowds of more than 6,900 fans, as 6,930 witnessed a four-set win over Michigan, and 8,291 were in attendance vs. Nebraska, marking…
