Volleyball Professional Alumni
Head Coach Dan Fisher has a proven track record of developing and preparing student-athletes to become professionals. Currently 13 Forever Panthers are competing on the professional stage, both overseas and in the United States. Rachel Fairbanks, Valeria Vazquez Gomez, Serena Gray, Chiamaka Nwokolo, Leketor Member-Meneh, Kayla Lund and Layne Buskirk are playing in the United States, either with Pro Volleyball Federation (PFV) or League One Volleyball (LOVB), the first professional volleyball leagues in the United States with a real format.
2024
Rachel Fairbanks
Professional Seasons: 1
Current Team: LOVB Atlanta
Location: Atlanta, GA, U.S.
Career Highlights
- AVCA First Team All-American (2024)
- First Team All-ACC (2024)
- AVCA East Coast Region Team (2024)
- AVCA National Player of the Year Semifinalist (2024)
- Pittsburgh NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team (2024)
- Volleymag.com First Team All-American (2024)
- AVCA First Team All-American (2023)
- AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year (2023)
- AVCA East Coast Region Team (2023)
- ACC Setter of the Year (2023)
- All-ACC First Team (2023)
- Pittsburgh NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team (2023)
- Volleymag.com First Team All-American (2023)
- Preseason All-ACC Team (2023)
- AVCA Third Team All-American (2022)
- Volleymag.com Fourth Team All-American (2022)
- AVCA East Coast Region Team (2022)
- All-ACC Second Team (2022)
- Madison NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team (2022)
- Pittsburgh NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team (2021)
Valeria Vazquez Gomez
Professional Seasons: 1
Current Team: Omaha Supernovas
Location: Omaha, NE, U.S
Career Highlights
- All-ACC Second Team (2024)
- AVCA East Coast Region Team (2024)
- All-ACC Second Team (2023)
- AVCA East Coast Region Team (2023)
- Preseason All-ACC Team (2023)
- AVCA Second Team All-American (2022)
- Volleyballmag.com 4th Team All-American (2022)
- All-ACC First Team (2022)
- AVCA East Coast Region Team (2022)
- 2x ACC Player of the Week (10/10/22 & 11/28/22)
Emmy Klika
Professional Seasons: 1
Current Team: Orlando Valkyries
Location: Orlando, FL, U.S
Career Highlights
- All-ACC Second Team (2024)
- AVCA East Coast Region Team (2024)
- Pittsburgh NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team (2024)
- College Sports Communicators Academic All-District (2024)
- AVCA All-American Honorable Mention (2023)
- AVCA All-East Coast Region Team (2023)
- All-ACC Second Team (2023)
- College Sports Communicators Academic All-District (2023)
- 3x All-ACC Academic Team member (2022, 2023, 2024)
2023
Chiamaka Nwokolo
Professional Seasons: 2
Current Team: LOVB Omaha
Location: Omaha, Neb., U.S.
Career Highlights
- AVCA East Coast Region Team (2023)
- All-ACC Second Team (2023)
- Preseason All-ACC Team (2023)
- All-ACC Second Team (2022)
- Madison NCAA Tournament All-Region Team (2022)
- 2020 AVCA All-America Honorable Mention
- [VolleyballMag.com](http://volleyballmag.com/) All-America Honorable Mention (2020)
- AVCA East Coast All-Region Honorable Mention (2020)
Lexis Akeo
Professional Seasons: 1
Current Team: Lemesos Volleyball
Location: Limassol, Cyprus
Career Highlights
- Preseason All-ACC (2020)
- AVCA East Coast All-Region Team (2019)
- All-ACC Second Team (2019)
- ACC All-Freshman Team (2019)
- 8x ACC Freshman of the Week (2019) – program record
- 4x All-ACC Academic Team (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023)
2022
Serena Gray
Professional Seasons: 2
Current Team: LOVB Salt Lake
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Career Highlights
- AVCA First Team All-American (2022)
- VolleyballMag.com All-America 4th Team (2022)
- AVCA East Coast All-Region Team (2022)
- ACC Player of the Week (9/26/2022)
- 2x ACC Volleyball Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2021 & 2022)
- 3x AVCA All-America Honorable Mention (2018, 2019, 2021)
- VolleyballMag.com All-America Honorable Mention (2021)
- AVCA East Coast All-Region Team (2021)
- All-ACC First Team (2021, 2022)
- NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team (Pittsburgh) (2021)
- Preseason All-ACC (2021, 2022)
- 2x AVCA All-Northeast Region Honorable Mention (2018, 2019)
- NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team (Stanford) (2019)
- Big Ten Freshman of the Week (2018)
Sabrina Starks
Professional Seasons: 3
Current Team: SC Potsdam
Location: Potsdam, Germany
Pitt Career Highlights
- AVCA East Coast All-Region Honorable Mention (2020)
- All-ACC Second Team (2020)
- Third in program history for most blocks in a match (13)
- Fifth in program history in total blocks per set in a single season (1.32)
- 3x All-ACC Academic Team (2019, 2020 & 2022)
2021
Kayla Lund
Professional Seasons: 3
Current Team: San Diego Mojo
Location: San Diego, Calif., U.S.
Pitt Career Highlights
- Varsity Walk – Panther Award (2020)
- AVCA All-America First Team (2021) *
- 2x AVCA All-America Second Team (2019, 2020) *
- Senior CLASS Award All-America First Team (2021) *
- VolleyballMag.com All-America First Team (2020) *
- VolleyballMag.com All-America Second Team (2021)
- CoSIDA Academic All-America® Third Team (2021)
- ACC Postgraduate Scholarship (2020)
- 2x AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year (2019, 2020) *
- 4x AVCA East Coast All-Region Team (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
- 2x ACC Player of the Year (2019, 2020) *
- 4x All-ACC First Team (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021) *
- Sports Imports / AVCA National Player of the Week (Sept. 7, 2021) *
- 7x ACC Player of the Week (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021) – program record
- 3x Preseason All-ACC (2019, 2020, 2021)
- AVCA All-America Honorable Mention (2018)
- 4x All-ACC Academic Team (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
- AVCA East Coast Region Freshman of the Year (2017)
* First in Program History
Leketor Member-Meneh
Professional Seasons: 3
Current Team: Indy Ignite
Location: Indianapolis, Ind., U.S.
Career Highlights
- AVCA All-America Second Team (2021)
- VolleyballMag.com All-America Second Team (2021)
- NCAA All-Tournament Team (2021)
- NCAA Regional All-Tournament MVP (Pittsburgh) (2021)
- AVCA East Coast All-Region Team (2021)
- All-ACC First Team (2021)
- 2018 All-SEC (2018)
- Mizzou Invitational All-Tournament Team (MVP) (2018)
- SEC All-Freshman Team (2017)
2019
Zoi Faki
Professional Seasons: 3
Current Team: Murov Az Terminal
Location: Baku, Azerbaijan
Pitt Career Highlights
- 89 career kills
- 32 career aces
- 155 career digs
- 3x ACC Champion (207, 2018 & 2019)
- ACC Honor Roll (2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020)
- Record Holder: Most digs in an NCAA Tournament match - 23 vs. Michigan (Dec. 1, 2018)
Nika Markovic
Professional Seasons: 5
Current Team: Saitama Ageo Medics
Location: Ageo City Saitama, Japan
Pitt Career Highlights
- AVCA All-America Third Team (2018)
- 2x AVCA East Coast All-Region Team (2017, 2018)
- 2x All-ACC First Team (2017, 2018)
- All-ACC Academic Team (2018)
- 3x ACC Player of the Week (2017, 2018)
- AVCA All-America Honorable Mention (2017)
- ACC All-Freshman Team (2016)
- 2x ACC Freshman of the Week (2016)
- Program Record Holder: Kills/Set in modern scoring era - 3.94 in 2017
Layne Van Buskirk
Professional Seasons: 5
Current Team: Vegas Thrill
Location: Las Vegas, U.S.
Pitt Career Highlights
- 2x AVCA All-America Honorable Mention (2018, 2019)
- 2x AVCA East Coast All-Region Team (2018, 2019)
- 2x All-ACC First Team (unanimous) (2018, 2019)
- 2x ACC Player of the Week (2018, 2019)
- 2x All-ACC Academic Team (2018, 2019)
- ACC All-Freshman Team (2016)
- 2x ACC Freshman of the Week (2016)
2016
Maria Genitsaridi
Professional Seasons: 8
Current Team: AONS Milon Nea Smyrni
Location: Athens, Greece
Pitt Career Highlights
- 7th in Career Service Aces: 132
- 2nd most Service Aces in a season (rally scoring era): 48 in 2013
- ACC Honor Roll (2015 & 2016)
- 724 career kills
- 132 career aces
- 859 career digs
2015
Kadi Kullerkann
Professional Seasons: 9
Current Team: Aris Thessaloniki
Location: Thessaloniki, Greece
Pitt Career Highlights
- All-America honoree (2015)
- First Team All-Region selection (2015)
- First Team All-ACC (2015)
- Nebraska Invite All-Tournament Team (2015)
- Duquesne/Pitt Invitational All-Tournament Team (2015)
- Michigan Challenge All-Tournament Team (2015)