4 lessons from a conversation with Leketor Member-Meneh

1. Bet on yourself

Going into her fourth year at the University of Missouri, Member-Meneh was feeling knocked down. She’d had an impactful role on the team since her freshman season in 2017 and had earned All-SEC recognition. But the belief to keep going wasn’t there anymore.

“I just felt like everywhere I turned it was like, hang up the shoes,” Member-Meneh said.

So she did. Member-Meneh dealt with an injury during the 2020 season and her mental health was at a low. When COVID-19 shut down NCAA sports, Member-Meneh thought she was done for good. She figured she’d finish as only a student and get a job.

But then the feeling started to creep in that she hadn’t given it 100 percent. Member-Meneh hadn’t reached her goal of being named All-Conference again and earning All-American honors for the first time.

She put her name in the portal and had to block out the usual doubts that had plagued her since being a high school recruit.

“Why would a school pick me up when I’m 5 feet 7 inches” she worried. “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 decided not to reach out to schools to ensure she ended up somewhere that truly wanted her. Then, the University of Pittsburgh called. After talking with head coach Dan Fisher, she knew.

“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,” Member-Meneh said. “I will never, ever, ever be more grateful that I decided to play another year.”

Member-Meneh was an integral part of Pitt’s first NCAA Final Four appearance in school history. She was named to the All-America Second Team by the AVCA and was Pitt’s selection to the NCAA All-Tournament Team during the Final Four.

Not only did playing at Pitt lead her to achieving her goals, but it’s how she became a pro. She told Coach Fischer she’d achieved her volleyball goals – especially after thinking she’d never play again – so becoming a pro was not on her mind.

“[Coach Fisher] just kept pushing on and kept pushing on,” Member-Meneh said. “I was like, ‘You know what? Because I love you so much and I know that you would never put me in a position that was bad for me, and never suggest someone to do that if you felt like they were going to fail… I’m going to listen to you.'”

Member-Meneh played in Italy with Futura Volley Giovani Busto Arsizio then joined the Atlanta Vibe for its inaugural season in the Pro Volleyball Federation. Now, she’s a top player in the 2024 AU Pro Volleyball season.

She wants people to know to bet on themselves.

“You need to believe in yourself before expecting other people to believe in you. And you need to bet on yourself before expecting other people to bet on you because we live in a world full of followers. If you’re not willing to follow yourself, why would other people want to do that? No matter what happens, you’re all you got.”

2. Share your knowledge

At the draft for the first two weeks of the AU season, Member-Meneh was selected by Bethania De La Cruz-Mejía. Member-Meneh had never played alongside the Dominican Republic volleyball legend and 2022 AU champion; they’d only been opponents in the PVF last season.

“When she first picked me, I was a little surprised. We hadn’t talked or communicated at all before then.”

De La Cruz-Mejía selected Member-Meneh with her third pick at the Week One draft. Member-Meneh made such an impression during the first three games, she was De La Cruz-Mejía’s first pick of the Week Two draft.

The two physical outside hitters were a deadly duo on the court; they gave defenses fits with the option to set both from any rotation. Both pass very well too, contributing to solid serve recieve. Not to mention their top spin jump serves that stun fans and passers alike.

“I feel extremely blessed after being able to play with her and play alongside her,” Member-Meneh said. “She has so much knowledge for the game, and  I really like that she’s not selfish with her knowledge.”

Stepping in as a newcomer this season, belief from what could be considered the all-time best AU Volleyball athlete went a long way with Member-Meneh. From their first practice together, De La Cruz-Mejía didn’t hold back in helping Member-Meneh develop. She coached her, challenging her to swing higher and make better decisions as an attacker.

Member-Meneh said De La Cruz-Mejía will share and believe until you get it right.

“Which ultimately gave me a lot of confidence to go back there and just play my game,” she said. “Not only did she help tweak my game, but she didn’t try and mold me into a player that I wasn’t. She appreciated and had a lot of respect for the game that I already had going into it, which just made playing with her so comfortable. It felt like home and so I really enjoyed playing with her.”

On the stat sheet, Member-Meneh and De La Cruz-Mejía are two of the best outside hitters in the league this season and from a technical perspective, there’s a reason why they are such a threat as teammates. But Member-Meneh said mutual respect is why things really work. Member-Meneh soaked up feedback from De La Cruz-Mejía because she felt like De La Cruz-Mejía recognized the type of player she was and met her there.

“The level of respect we have for each other is so high that it makes adjusting easy, communicating easy, [and] making switches easy,” Member-Meneh explained. “It makes taking and giving feedback easy… That just helped us thrive.”

3. Make someone feel something

From stellar performances and racking up win points on Team De La Cruz-Mejía, Member-Meneh found herself in the captain’s chair in Week Three and Week Four.

It’s a challenge for any AU athlete to balance their own game with leading a team and the responsibilities of being captain but Member-Meneh loves a challenge. Within this new test of her as an athlete, she’s focused on being a sponge and not closing herself off to learning.

Member-Meneh is always in tune with what a team needs from her. Throughout her career, she’s shifted her personality on the court to what the team needed most. Last season the Atlanta Vibe was a vet-heavy team so she didn’t need to take on the role of a vocal leader and instead focused as an executor who often came off the bench to change the flow of a game.

With her Week Three team, Member-Meneh initially thought to take the role of letting the game flow and a collective lead from the team. She realized so much of her roster was playing on the same team for the first time: new setter-hitter connections and unfamiliar people passing and playing defense together, so she shifted to giving more direction and fire.

“Then I’m going to play extra hard and be extra loud and I’m going to talk about what I see,” she explained. “They’re looking to me to do that.”

She wanted to instill the confidence that De La Cruz-Mejía gave her into the teammates she selected. When asked what the strongest part of her game is right now, Member-Meneh said, “My energy.”

Not her powerful topspin serve, her ridiculous vertical, or her efficiency.

“Definitely my energy,” she confirmed. “I’m just choosing to approach every team, every set with confidence and go after it how I think is best fitting for what the team needs, if that makes sense. So I think it’s my energy that has been the best.”

With changing setters and teams, not much is guaranteed in the AU Pro Volleyball format. Member-Meneh feels her approach to the game resonates with her teammates and makes her successful no matter the circumstances.

“You could be producing [but] giving your teammates nothing and it doesn’t help. You could be scoring 20 points and no one else around you feels anything, and you lose the game… If you can make other people feel something, you can get a lot done with that.”

4. Faith > doubt

“I wish people knew how much my faith in God impacted the way I attack my hurdles.”

This is what Member-Meneh wishes people asked her about more. Throughout her life, things haven’t always been in her favor, especially in volleyball. She battled financial barriers to play club volleyball and dealt with doubts from coaches about her height.

“I think that in times where I wanted to quit, where people told me I wasn’t good enough, where people told me I was too short, when people told me to hang up the shoes… I’m not doing this for you. I’m not even doing this for me. I’m doing this to show that God can do anything for anyone as long as you believe in him.”

Her faith carried her to be the Missouri Volleyball Player of the Year in high school, to a career at Mizzou, then finding her stride again at Pittsburgh, and now as a blossoming pro.

As she reflects on the lessons from the five weeks of the AU season and the years as a volleyball player, more than anything she’s grateful.

“I just feel extremely blessed to have a platform… knowing how much I want to give to other people and that other young girls can look up to me now because of it.”

Savanna Collins is the Senior Reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Twitter @savannaecollins.