In a city that is home to pro teams such as the Steelers and Penguins, the true heroes of 2024 might just be the Pitt Panthers women’s volleyball team. Who needs touchdowns and home runs when these Panthers have been building a brand that is defining a new sports story in town? Since the arrival in the ACC in 2013, the program has peaked under the stewardship of head coach Dan Fisher.

Pitt volleyball has won six ACC championships, recorded eight consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament, and two remarkable consecutive seasons in the Final Four. But it’s not just about victories–this team has been building the future of the sport and its athletes, spike by spike. For instance, Leketor Member-Meneh, a name that would go down in Pitt’s volleyball history. After coming close to quitting the sport, she found new life within the Panthers’ program.

From wanting to quit volleyball to loving it!

On the 20th of October, 2024, Aupro Sports posted a brief look into the life of Member-Meneh. She was at her lowest point in her life when she was heading into her fourth year at the University of Missouri. The fire to keep pushing forward had gone out, even though she has been a star since her freshman debut in 2017 and an All-SEC honoree.

“I just felt like everywhere I turned it was like, hang up the shoes,” Member-Meneh admitted. And she did. Suffering an injury in the 2020 season and feeling the mental load, she believed that she was finished. When COVID-19 resulted in the suspension of NCAA sports, it was the last blow that was heard.

She planned to trade in her volleyball shoes for a regular student life and a steady 9-to-5. But deep down, that nagging little voice wouldn’t quit. Had she truly given it her all? Had she left everything on the court? She hadn’t hit her dream milestones—earning All-Conference recognition again or clinching the coveted All-American title.

Fueled by the tiniest ember of what-if, she entered the transfer portal, despite the doubts screaming in her head. “Why would a school pick me up when I’m 5 feet 7 inches?” she wondered. “I didn’t have the best season. I haven’t played in a year. I had an injury. But at the end of the day, I just put my faith in God that whatever it is I ended up with, I’m going to be grateful.”

She no longer pursued schools to get into them, instead she waited for these institutions to come looking for her. Then came the call from the University of Pittsburgh. One conversation with head coach Dan Fisher, and she knew she’d found her home. “I found out that, that was the best decision I’ve ever made in my entire life. There are people out there who genuinely care about you. They’re going to give you the tools to be the best that you can be. It’s your choice if you want to make the most of it,” she said. “I will never, ever, ever be more grateful that I decided to play another year.”

At Pitt, Member-Meneh contributed a lot to the team to reach the first NCAA Final Four in its history. She was rewarded with a place in the AVCA All-America Second Team and the NCAA All-Tournament Team during the Final Four. Her volleyball dreams came back to life, and Pitt opened a door she had never thought about. When she informed Coach Fisher that she has reached her volleyball dreams and never thought of going pro, life had other plans, which she took with open arms.

Member-Meneh and her rise to the top!

Leketor Member-Meneh’s love affair with volleyball started in the most unlikely way, but her way to the volleyball court was not the easiest. “Oh, we struggled. We struggled,” Member-Meneh told IndyStar in December 2024. “But struggling is never really struggling, is what my dad says, ‘Because we’re blessed’.” Her family’s history started more than twenty years ago in Nigeria, where the war displaced her parents and seven children to America.

Their trip was as treacherous as can be, but through what she calls “the grace of God,” they got to the United States. The family was able to seek temporary refuge in a refugee camp before Christians Friends of New Americans in South City St Louis intervened. It was here that her parents welcomed their eighth child, Leketor—a name carrying the hope and promise that “everything around me is good, everything around me will be prosperous.”

And live a good life, she has. Member-Meneh never experienced lack of love or care, regardless of the fact that the family had little resources to offer. “I didn’t really feel like I was lesser than everyone. I was always taken care of. I never worried about where the next meal or anything was going to come from,” she said. But getting there was not easy for her. That means the tools and the opportunities which could have assisted her to move to the next level seemed unattainable. However, she did have what no money could buy—a family that stood and did believe in her and her older siblings.

Growing up as the youngest of eight siblings, Member-Meneh was always under pressure to perform among her siblings. After school, she would just wait for a ride and end up accompanying her sister to her volleyball practices. One day, while her sister was practicing, Kim O’Leary, her sister’s coach, saw her standing on the sideline. O’Leary started talking to her and describing the game, analyzing the plays, and teaching her the basics. “It was just like a person that showed a different kind of care for me that I’d never really experienced outside of my parents,” Member-Meneh recalled. That connection lit a spark, and before she ever stepped onto the court, she was hooked.

Now, Member-Meneh is turning her gratitude into action. Inspired by her journey, she and her family launched The Member-Meneh Foundation, a nonprofit in partnership with Christian Friends of New Americans. Their mission? To raise funds for scholarships that empower refugees to chase their dreams, just as she did. As she reflects on her path, she sums it up beautifully: “You know, when you don’t have the world and then some, you have to figure out how you’re going to get to where you want with what you’ve got. And that requires a lot of thinking. That requires a lot of reflection.”

Now, Leketor Member-Meneh is shining up the Pro Volleyball Federation, wearing the Indy Ignite uniform. They officially scooped her up back in June 2024, adding a fierce competitor to their roster. Before donning the Ignite jersey, she made waves with the Atlanta Vibe during PVF’s inaugural season. Member-Meneh clawed her way into the starting lineup for the Vibe’s epic showdown against Grand Rapids on February 9, where she racked up a season-best 16 digs.

She didn’t stop working until Atlanta had the best record in the league at 19-5 in the regular season. The cherry on top? The Vibe grabbed the first-ever PVF Regular Season Champions trophy and Member-Meneh was on the field as active as she could be. From shaking off the doubts in college to shining on the pro stage, Member-Meneh’s journey is the stuff of underdog dreams.