Hope Johnston was named Waynesburg’s head volleyball head coach in March 2024. In her first season with the Yellow Jackets, Johnston oversaw several program milestones.
In 2024 Waynesburg tied for eighth place in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) standings, matching the team’s best PAC finish since 2009, and recorded the program’s best conference winning percentage since 2008. The Jackets had a 5-3 record in the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse and knocked off defending PAC champion Bethany for the first time since 2008 and topped Grove City for the first time since 2009.
Waynesburg had a pair of all-conference honorees in senior middle hitter Madi Dayton and sophomore outside hitter Krista Wilson.
During her summers at Waynesburg, Johnston has coached internationally in multiple countries and continents. She coached in London for EXACT Sports International Academy in July 2024, and coached in Panama with AFAVCER La Academia de Voleibol and Costa Rice with Beyond Sports in June 2025.
Johnston arrived at Waynesburg after spending the 2023 season at PAC rival Westminster College as a graduate assistant coach. There, she was part of the staff that led the Titans to an appearance in the PAC Tournament, their first such appearance since 2021.
Prior to Westminster, Johnston had a successful two-year run as an assistant coach at Hanover College in Indiana. The Panthers went 30-24 during her stint with the team.
Johnston got her coaching career started with the Frisco Flyers Volleyball club in Frisco, Texas as she was a head and assistant coach at various age levels ranging from 10 to 18-year old's. She took a hiatus from the club scene when she was named assistant at Hanover but returned in 2023 when she joined Topspin Volleyball Club in Lawrence County, Pa. There, she was a head coach for 14 through 17-year olds.
Johnston was an accomplished club player as she qualified for the Junior National Championship and won a bronze medal at the AAU National championships.
She graduated from The University of Oklahoma with a degree in communication and a minor in religious studies in 2018. While in Norman, she was a member of the Sooners' rowing team and was a Big 12 Championship runner-up in 2015.
Johnston is currently pursing an MBA with a concentration in data analytics at Waynesburg.
