About Charlene

About Olympian Charlene Johnson

Charlene Johnson has built an impressive volleyball resume as an Olympian, club and collegiate star, and as a coach. Her accolades include numerous MVP and All-American awards, NCAA National Champion, Olympian, Hall of Fame Inductee, Gold Medal Winner, etc…

She has spent the past fifteen years, except the years she was at University of Nebraska, as the Director of Volleyball for American College Connection, and also as the instructor of Charlene Johnson Volleyball Camps.

Charlene travels the country all summer, and on a limited basis throughout the year, giving volleyball camps on-location to colleges, schools and club teams. Her camps are instruction-packed, with training and skill development at all positions. She also conducts coaches camps and setter-specific camps.

Please see the Volleyball Camps page for more information.

Volleyball Career Overview

2010 - Current

In 2015, Charlene accepted a season-long position as an assistant coach with BYU, starting the season ranked #9, and making it to the Sweet 16 in Lexington, Kentucky. BYU won their conference, finishing the regular season 25-3 before losing to eventual National Champion, Nebraska, the school Charlene won a National Championship with in 2006.

Charlene has been very active within the USA Volleyball High Performance program as a coach. In 2013 Charlene served again as an assistant coach with the Junior National Team which competed at the World Championships in the Czech Republic in June. They qualified for this event after finishing Top 3 at the NORCECA’s in Nicaragua in August of 2012.

From 2010 – 2011, she served as an assistant coach for the Youth National Team. They competed at the NORCECA Women’s Youth Volleyball Championship in May of 2010 where they finished with the Gold Medal, which qualified them for the first ever Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in August of 2010, and also for the World Championships in Turkey in August of 2011. At the Youth Olympic Games, they earned the Silver Medal, losing to Belgium. At the World Championships, they finished 10th, with their 2 losses coming from the eventual Silver and Bronze Medal teams of China and Serbia. They finished the tournament with a 6 game winning streak.

2000 - 2010

Charlene spent four seasons (2003-2006) as an assistant coach at the University of Nebraska working mainly with the Huskers’ setters. During her tenure, Nebraska captured the 2006 NCAA National Volleyball Championship and reached the title match the previous year.

She served as an assistant coach on the 2002 U.S. Women’s Junior National Team, which earned a Silver Medal at the NORCECA Women’s Junior Volleyball Championship. Charlene spent the next seven years coaching with the High Performance Select program with her last three years, 2007 – 2009, as the head coach.

A member of the U.S. National Team from 1997 to 2001, Charlene was the starting setter for the squad from January 1999 to August 2000. In her first season directing the U.S. National Team’s offense, Charlene earned the Best Setter Award at the 1999 NORCECA Continental Championship after leading her team to a second-place finish. She also guided the squad to a bronze medal at the 1999 Pan American Games.

In 2000, Charlene helped Team USA qualify for the Sydney Olympics as the starting setter at the NIKE Americas Volleyball Challenge, earning the Best Setter award at the four-team event. After the World Grand Prix, Team USA’s final tune-up before the Olympics, Charlene and Team USA placed fourth at the 2000 Sydney Olympics-an impressive finish for a team returning only two players from the previous Olympics.

Pre-2000

Charlene has played professionally overseas, competing in Italy for Barrese Volley Napoli 2000 – 2001 and in Switzerland for Adliswil 1996 – 1997.

She also competed professionally in Salt Lake City in the National Volleyball Association 1994 -1995 and the Professional Volleyball League 1995 – 1996. Charlene competed in the United States Professional Volleyball (USPV) league during the 2001-2002 season. She was selected in 2002 to serve a three-year term on the USA Volleyball Board of Directors as the international female player representative.

Charlene played collegiately at Brigham Young University from 1991-1994 and graduated with a degree in therapeutic recreation in 1999. She was a two-time AVCA All-American and helped the Cougars to their first-ever NCAA semifinal appearance in 1994. Charlene was named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year as a senior in 1994, capping a collegiate career in which she was named WAC Freshman of the Year in 1991. Charlene ended her career with a school-record 5,321 assists.

Charlene's BYU Highlights

Senior Year

  • Tri-captain of the team

  • WAC Player of the Year

  • Earned WAC Player of the Week honors twice (Aug. 29-Sept. 3, Oct. 24-29)

  • Second Team AVCA All-American

  • AVCA First Team All-West

  • MVP of Colorado Powerbar Classic

  • All-Tournament Team of BYU Mizuno Challenge

  • Became BYU’s all-time leader in career assists hitting 5,000 in the same game Coache Elaine Michaelis notched her 700th win

  • Ended the season with 5,321 assists to rank in the top 30 nationally in career assists

  • Led the Cougars to their third consecutive WAC title

  • Entered the NCAA tournament with an 18-match winning streak and a No. 8 ranking

  • Ranked in the top-10 in assists (12.56 per game), digs (2.10) and aces (.31) in conferences games

  • Asics/Volleyball Monthly Third Team All-American

  • Earned the Cougar Club Competitor Award

Junior Year

  • Voted to the all-tournament teams of two invitationals

  • WAC Player of the Week (Nov. 15-20)

  • Made the NCAA West Regional and NCAA Championship All-Tournament teams

  • Selected First Team All-WAC and All-West Region

  • Third Team Asics/Volleyball Monthly All-America

  • First Team AVCA All-America

  • Given the Cougar Club Competitor Award

  • Averaged 12.43 assists per game and 2.85 digs per game

  • NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team

  • Selected Utah Chapter National Multiple Scelerosis Society Society Outstanding Female Athlete

  • Played on USA National “A” developmental team in summer tournaments in Japan and China

  • Career match high of 75 assists set in the NCAA semifinal match against Penn State

  • Other career match highs of 23 digs, six blocks and four aces

Sophomore Year

  • Voted to the Mizuno Classic All-Tournament Team

  • Voted to the All-Tournament Team of the San Diego Invitational

  • Selected to the NCAA West Regional All-Tournament Team

  • Second Team All-WAC

  • Second Team All-West Region

  • Fifth in the nation in assists per game (13.125)

Freshman Year

  • One of the three prep volleyball players in the 1991 U.S. Olympic Festival

  • Started at setter for BYU and logged 1310 assists

  • Named to Boise State Labor Day Classic All-Tournament Team

  • Named to BYU Mizuno Challenge All-Tournament Team

  • Named to the UTA Comfort Inn All-Tournament Team

  • Named Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year

  • First Team All-WAC

  • AVCA Secont Team All-West Region

  • Asics/Volleyball Monthly All-Freshman Team

High School & Club

In Charlene’s Junior year of High School, her Clark High School team under coach Bob Kelly and Kelly O’quinn, won the Nevada State Title and she was named 1st Team Prep All American and Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 recruit.

Her Senior Year, competing for Pleasant Grove High School in Pleasant Grove, Utah, she took that team to their 1st ever State Tournament and finished 4th.

Charlene played club volleyball for Nevada Juniors out of Las Vegas under coaches Bob Kelly & Kelly O’quinn from 1986 – 1990. In those 4 years they finished 1st at Junior Olympics twice and 2nd once. They also finished 1st at the Davis Festival twice and 2nd once.

Charlene is a 2X MVP of the Junior Olympics. In her Junior year, her final year with Nevada Juniors, they won the Triple Crown; Davis Festival, Junior Olympics and Sports Performance International Tournament.