Volleyball
Johnson, Erin

Erin Johnson
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- ejohnson@sports.uga.edu
Erin "EJ" Johnson joined Tom Black's staff in January 2023 as an assistant coach. 2025 will be her third season in Athens.
The 2024 season saw Georgia's blocking average rise from the previous season under Johnson's guidance to 2.36 blocks per set. All-American Sophie Fisher concluded her career as Georgia’s top blocker, breaking UGA's record with 1.43 blocks per set. She finished her Georgia career third with 488 total blocks and set Georgia's new block assists record with 450. Fischer finished the 2024 season second in the SEC with 1.42 blocks per set.
In Johnson's first season in Athens, she coached Sophie Fischer to AVCA Second Team All-America status while also becoming just the second Bulldog to be named the SEC Player of the Year. Fischer concluded the season as the nation's highest-scoring middle. Fischer finished second in the SEC with 1.32 blocks per set and fourth with 4.13 kills per set. As a team, Georgia concluded the season with a 2.22 blocks per set average.
Johnson came to Athens following a stint as assistant coach for the UC Irvine men’s volleyball program, a position she had held since January 2019.
The Anteaters won 43 matches in Johnson’s tenure in Irvine. She was the third woman to serve as an assistant coach for the Anteaters’ men’s team.
In Johnson’s first season, the Anteaters led the Big West and finished eighth in the country with a 2.54 blocks per set average. The shortened 2020 season saw UCI register a 2.81 blocks per set clip in 17 matches, the second highest nationally. UCI put up a 2.22 average, good for 12th nationally.
Before landing her first full-time collegiate coaching job, Johnson served as a student assistant coach for the University of Illinois while she completed her degree, graduating in 2013 with a degree in Kinesiology.
Johnson played middle blocker for the Illini from 2009-12. She was a junior on the 2011 Illini team that advanced to the NCAA Championship match. Illinois also made Sweet 16 appearances in 2009 and 2010.
The Crystal Lake, Illinois native played 125 matches over her four-year career and currently ranks sixth all-time in career block assists with 445 and eighth in total blocks (471). She was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2009 as well as Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, Big Ten Freshman of the Week, and to several all-tournament teams throughout her career. She was also a three-time Big 10 All-Academic honoree.
Following Illinois, she played professionally for Asko Linz Steg in Linz, Austria (2014) and Dresden Sports Club in Dresden, Germany (2016-17), and served as the Director of Volleyball Operations and coach of the boy’s program at VC United Volleyball Club in Rockford, Illinois (2017-18).
The 2024 season saw Georgia's blocking average rise from the previous season under Johnson's guidance to 2.36 blocks per set. All-American Sophie Fisher concluded her career as Georgia’s top blocker, breaking UGA's record with 1.43 blocks per set. She finished her Georgia career third with 488 total blocks and set Georgia's new block assists record with 450. Fischer finished the 2024 season second in the SEC with 1.42 blocks per set.
In Johnson's first season in Athens, she coached Sophie Fischer to AVCA Second Team All-America status while also becoming just the second Bulldog to be named the SEC Player of the Year. Fischer concluded the season as the nation's highest-scoring middle. Fischer finished second in the SEC with 1.32 blocks per set and fourth with 4.13 kills per set. As a team, Georgia concluded the season with a 2.22 blocks per set average.
Johnson came to Athens following a stint as assistant coach for the UC Irvine men’s volleyball program, a position she had held since January 2019.
The Anteaters won 43 matches in Johnson’s tenure in Irvine. She was the third woman to serve as an assistant coach for the Anteaters’ men’s team.
In Johnson’s first season, the Anteaters led the Big West and finished eighth in the country with a 2.54 blocks per set average. The shortened 2020 season saw UCI register a 2.81 blocks per set clip in 17 matches, the second highest nationally. UCI put up a 2.22 average, good for 12th nationally.
Before landing her first full-time collegiate coaching job, Johnson served as a student assistant coach for the University of Illinois while she completed her degree, graduating in 2013 with a degree in Kinesiology.
Johnson played middle blocker for the Illini from 2009-12. She was a junior on the 2011 Illini team that advanced to the NCAA Championship match. Illinois also made Sweet 16 appearances in 2009 and 2010.
The Crystal Lake, Illinois native played 125 matches over her four-year career and currently ranks sixth all-time in career block assists with 445 and eighth in total blocks (471). She was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2009 as well as Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, Big Ten Freshman of the Week, and to several all-tournament teams throughout her career. She was also a three-time Big 10 All-Academic honoree.
Following Illinois, she played professionally for Asko Linz Steg in Linz, Austria (2014) and Dresden Sports Club in Dresden, Germany (2016-17), and served as the Director of Volleyball Operations and coach of the boy’s program at VC United Volleyball Club in Rockford, Illinois (2017-18).