Pitt Volleyball may have finished their season in December with a third straight final four appearance, but for those that have graduated and left the program, the professional route is one that many take.
The Pro Volleyball Federation is a new professional women’s volleyball league in the United States that will begin its inaugural season this week. The league is attempting to become the first true professional women’s volleyball outlet in the country, with previous attempts failing to stay long-term.
Play for the league begins on Wednesday, with the Atlanta Vibe taking on the Omaha Supernovas at 8 p.m. at the Chi Health Center in downtown Omaha, Neb.
Two former Pitt volleyball players will take part in this match, in middle blocker Chiamaka Nwokolo and outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh, who are a part of the Atlanta Vibe squad.
Nwokolo played five seasons for the Panthers from 2019-23, serving as one of the best at her position in program history. Her .392 career hitting percentage and .432 hitting percentage in 2023 both rank as the best in program history, while both her 351 block assists and 388.0 total blocks rank eighth best in a career for Pitt volleyball.
She made the All-ACC Second Team her final two seasons and earned AVCA All-America Honorable Mention honors in 2020. Nwokolo also played a part in four straight Elite Eights and three straight Final Four appearances to end her career.
Member-Meneh only played one season for Pitt volleyball in 2021, transferring in as a graduate student after spending her previous four years at Missouri. Despite spending such little time with the program, she made an enormous impact, first on the team with 3.22 points per set, second on the team with 328 kills, 423.5 points and 262 digs and third on the team with 30 service aces.
Her great play kept on through the whole season, helping the Panthers earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and then make it to the Final Four, both firsts for the program. She earned AVCA All-American Second Team, NCAA All-Tournament Team and All-ACC First Team honors amongst the many she received in 2021.
She played volleyball in Italy the past two years for Futura Volley Giovani Busto Arsizio, just outside of Milan. She had signed a two-year contract to stay there and play more, and while she now misses the food, the prospect of coming back to the United States to play the sport she loves in front of the people she loves made it one of the easiest decisions for her to make.
“I decided to come back because I think it’s just a different feeling to be able play in front of your family and your friends,” Member-Meneh said. “I feel like you build a name for yourself and you worked really hard to, I guess, earn respect here and then It’s just kind of different when you go overseas. No one knows who you are and you can’t really communicate with people. Ultimately, it wasn’t a very hard decision to decide to come back.”
Member-Meneh, who signed on for Atlanta in July, has loved her time in the gym with her new team in such a short time. Not only does it help that everyone speaks English, but the talent of the roster has pushed her to become an even better player than she already was coming in.
“It’s been exciting,” Member-Meneh said. “It’s always a good feeling to be back home speaking English. The competition is very high. I think In Italy, the way they do it is they have six good players and then just people to fill the roster, but here, every single player on the roster is good, every single person on the team is driven. It’s an honor to play along side them and I think because of how high the level is in the gym, there’s always opportunities to get better. Very different, but very grateful.”
Nwokolo came to the Vibe as a part of the first Pro Volleyball Federation Draft, where they selected her with the No. 6 overall pick in the First Round.
She originally intended to graduate from Pitt volleyball in 2022, but chose to return prior to the 2023 season, giving herself one more shot to try and play professionally. As she played a big role in her team making it back to a third straight Final Four, coming back made it all worth while, as she will reach her dream of playing at the highest level.
“I feel really blessed,” Nwokolo said. “I never, when I started playing volleyball, foresaw me being or reaching this level. So I just feel very blessed, very humble to be here. “
It was a quick turnaround from the Final Four with Pitt volleyball to training camp that started early January for Nwokolo. Playing through to the end of 2023 came as a big positive for her, as she came in the best shape she could have.
She did start to notice many changes from the college and professional game really quickly, and it’s not surprising with the great talent that Atlanta, which voters ranked No. 2 in the league in the preseason poll, has.
This includes unanimous preseason All-League Team selection outside hitter Leah Edmond, who was a four-time All-American, SEC Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019, as well as a 2020-21 National Champion, and libero Morgan Hentz, a three-time All-American at Stanford.
“I just remember, one of our first practices, one of my go-to shots was just dug really easy,” Nwokolo said. “It took me a week to really adjust and see, like a different way to change my game to score more in this gym, just because the girls here are just super high level. I mean, our rallies are forever because everybody is so good on both sides.”
Nwokolo has adjusted to her new teammates and new environment well. Describing herself as a, “slow burn,” she has started to get to know her teammates much better and they understand her personality too.
It also doesn’t hurt having a former Pitt volleyball teammate and a great friend in Member-Meneh, which has made the transition all that much easier.
“I think I described it earlier as an answered prayer that I didn’t even ask for,” Nwokolo said on playing with Member-Meneh. “Just being in a whole new environment with a whole new pro team, a new city and having somebody that just reminds me of kind of home. So it’s really nice to have her here.”
Member-Meneh and Nwokolo are one of three players from Pitt volleyball that will play in this new league, which also includes middle blocker Layne Van Buskirk (2016-19), who will star for the Vegas Thrill.
While the start of a new season is something that comes as stressful right now, the importance of playing in a new women’s volleyball professional league in the United States is something that the three will remember forever, as they make history in the coming weeks.
“I feel like very honored to be here,” Nwokolo said. “Obviously, right now, I’m very present, but in 10 years it will be really cool to say I was a part of something historical.”
