@MizzouVB Insider: Member-Meneh Right at Home in CoMo
8/31/2017 7:16:00 PM | Volleyball
Story by: Mizzou Athletics Strategic Communications student assistant, Cady Lowery
When Leketor Member-Meneh (St. Louis, Mo.) suited up for her first official Mizzou Volleyball match against Marshall on Aug. 25, she didn't expect to play at all. Being a freshman, she thought her time would be spent cheering from the sidelines.
She was wrong.
With the Tigers down midway through their first set, Member-Meneh was called-on to enter the match.
"I was standing there, just waiting for a chance to go in," Member-Meneh recalled. "And then Coach Kreklow yelled for me to go in. I just kept telling myself that I couldn't get blocked because he'd take me right back out. But I wasn't nervous at all."
Member-Meneh jumped out to a quick start and was left in for good, including starting each of Mizzou's remaining three sets against the Big Herd.
There were no freshmen jitters for the 5'8" outside hitter from St. Louis, Mo. As soon as she stepped on the court for warm-ups, everything felt right.
"It feels like home, honestly, and I don't just say that," Member-Meneh exclaimed. "I got here by luck, but going anywhere else just wasn't an option for me. I needed to be here."
The luck she's referring to started with a note from her high school coach sent to the Mizzou Volleyball coaching staff. Her coach at Lutheran South asked them to come watch her play in-person. After seeing only the last three points of a match, the Tigers coaches invited Member-Meneh to visit Mizzou.
The day Member-Meneh was scheduled to visit Columbia, Mo., was the same day she was going to announce her collegiate volleyball commitment to another school. But she knew all along Mizzou was supposed to be her ultimate home. After a lot of thought and prayer, she postponed her original commitment plans and drove to Columbia.
At the time, it was just a visit and no scholarship had been offered to her beforehand. However, she knew she would love everything about it and hoped it would ultimately lead to a scholarship offer from the Tigers. Wouldn't you know it, at the end of her visit, Mizzou offered a spot.
When Member-Meneh accepted the offer, it meant she would get to stay close to home and become a part of the Mizzou Volleyball tradition. She wasn't worried about anything, especially not playing time.
"If I didn't play my freshman year, I would play my sophomore year," Member-Meneh said. "And if I didn't play my sophomore year, I'd play my junior year and so on. If I was anywhere else playing volleyball, it just wouldn't be right."
Maybe part of her journey thus far was luck, but what she calls luck didn't make her the 2016 Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association (MHSVCA) Missouri Volleyball Player of the Year, Missouri Metro League Player of the Year and Missouri First-Team All-State. Her work ethic and confident attitude did.
"I'm here to do what I'm told," Member-Meneh exclaimed. "Whatever the seniors and coaches want me to do, I'll do it. I just want to get kills and digs. I want to help the team win and I'll do whatever is needed."
Member-Meneh ended her 2017 Tigers debut weekend leading the team with 70 kills, finishing with a .305 hitting percentage and 38 digs in four matches. The fantastic weekend earned the first-year Tiger Culver's Governors Challenge All-Tournament team honors. Although the Tigers dropped two of four matches over the weekend, Member-Meneh has faith in the team.
"I think we have a few more kinks to work out," Member-Meneh said. "We might lose a few more matches this season, but it's better to do it now. We'll take this time to work and we'll be fine. It just takes patience."
Mizzou continues its non-conference play from Friday, Sept. 1 – Saturday, Sept. 2 at the Boise State Invitational in Boise, Idaho.
