Former Missouri State volleyball standout Leah Johnson has joined the coaching staff of 13th-year head coach Melissa Stokes for the 2008 season.

Johnson, who played for the Bears from 2000-03, returns to MSU after a one-year stint as an assistant at Texas-Pan American, and will focus on training MSU’s defensive specialists while assisting in all facets of the program.

A native of nearby Fair Grove, Johnson ranks 14th in Missouri State history with 1,017 career digs and was awarded the Missouri State Volleyball Heart award in 2001, 2002 and 2003, an honor that is voted on by the players and represents the team member exhibiting the most heart, dedication, commitment, effort, encouragement and desire.

Johnson earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish in 2004 before serving as a graduate assistant in the Athletics Development office for two years while earning her master’s in International Affairs and Administration in 2006.

She also served as the director and coach of the Club 417 volleyball team, leading the squad to a fifth-place national finish in 2006 before taking the coaching position at UTPA.