As Christy Johnson watched her team celebrate, she was finally able to calm down. As her pulse slowed and the adrenaline rush gradually left her body, she looked at her team.

Her team.

A smile slowly spread across her face as she watched her team celebrate. The fans were ecstatic, excited about the team’s performance. And for the first time, Johnson could tell it was her team.

It was the spring of 2005, just a few months after she had begun her reign as Iowa State’s head volleyball coach and her team had just defeated a quality opponent. But more exciting than the win was what Johnson saw unfolding before her.

“The first few weeks I was here were really scary,” Johnson said. “After that win over Illinois, I could just tell from everyone’s enthusiasm that we were going to be a much better team.”

That turned out to be an understatement. In her first year, Johnson led the Cyclones to a 16-15 overall record and a 9-11 mark in the Big 12, a new school record for conference wins. Only a questionable decision by the NCAA selection committee kept the Cyclones out of the postseason.

What is really shocking about the team’s success under Johnson is how quickly she turned the program around. Johnson had no idea what to expect in her first year, but she couldn’t have asked for a better season.

“I thought we beat the people we should have beat and we also got a couple upsets,” Johnson said. “To me, that is a good year.”

Before Johnson arrived, the program was struggling. The team had only won one conference match or fewer in five of the past six years under former coach Linda Crum. This year’s seniors had only won five conference matches in their entire careers.

But it wasn’t because of a lack of talent. Four of this season’s starters were here before Johnson and suffered through the losing. There was just something missing, one final piece of the puzzle to form a winning team.

Johnson held that piece.

“[Johnson] instilled a lot of confidence in us,” said senior Nicole Lorenzen. “We started to believe in ourselves.”

Instead of instituting new rules and approaching the team from a technique standpoint, Johnson focused on changing her players to dedicate themselves to the team. The response she got was exactly what she was hoping for, as most of the team stayed in Ames during the summer to play together.

“The fact that they were willing to make that commitment and that sacrifice,” Johnson said. “That just told me they were willing to up their commitment to the program.”

The players were ready for a change and were looking to rededicate themselves and prove they were winners. They took to Johnson immediately and began to adopt her approach toward volleyball, a point that is evident from the outlook of the players who arrived with Johnson.

“We come out there expecting to win every game,” said freshman Kaylee Manns.

That isn’t something the players were saying in previous seasons. The team’s new outlook is a result of Johnson’s confidence and attitude toward the game.

“Before she got here, we were playing not to lose, but she taught us that we can win on any given night,” Lorenzen said.

That attitude comes from Johnson’s past. Everywhere she has been, from her playing days as an All-American at Nebraska to her time as an assistant coach for perennial power Wisconsin, she has been a winner.

“Winning is second nature to me,” Johnson said. “When you come from that background, you just know how to win and understand how to get it done.”

Part of building a successful program is preparing for the future. With new facilities coming in the next few years and the team’s current success, Johnson hopes to bring in more high-profile recruiting classes.

Johnson herself is a recruiting beacon, one that is already starting to pay dividends. Members of her first recruiting class passed on other schools for the chance to play for her.

“The chance to learn from an All-American setter really helped a lot,” said Manns, also a setter. “She just has such a positive outlook about the program – it was easy to be optimistic about the team.”

After her first season and a half, Johnson is excited about what she has accomplished and the direction of the program.

“I really like where we are at right now,” Johnson said. “I think we are only going to continue to improve.”