From Romania to the Rise, 10-year veteran Elizabet Inneh has transformed early promise into a globe-spanning volleyball career.
Story by Alex Eisen / Photo by Nicolas Carrillo
Elizabet Inneh was tired of trying new sports. Track felt too lonely, running endless circles alone. Basketball was too physical, and she didn’t enjoy being pushed around. Dancing felt awkward because she was too tall to find a suitable partner.
At 10 years old, Inneh had little interest in starting over again. Volleyball was not something she had asked for, but it was the next option her mother, Lenke, put in front of her.
“If you don’t go, then I’m not going to make your favorite cookies,” Inneh recalled her mom saying. “I went. And then eventually I got really good. And I enjoyed being good, so I stayed.”
One sweet bribe set Inneh on a path that would take her across the world. Born in Budapest, Hungary, and raised in Oradea, Romania, by her mother and grandparents, she quickly realized that volleyball was more than just a fun game. Practices filled her afternoons, schoolwork followed her everywhere, and free time became something she learned to manage rather than expect.
Being good at the sport also soon revealed something more: coaches saw potential worth investing in. By her mid-teens, volleyball was no longer just part of her life. It was shaping it.
At 16 years old, Inneh began her professional career with CSU Medicina Târgu Mureș in Romania, a decision that made her grow up fast — though she was already busy stretching into her eventual 6-foot-3 frame. For three seasons, she balanced professional training with high school, carrying everything she needed for the day and finding quiet corners to finish her homework.
“I used to have all these huge backpacks,” Inneh said. “I wouldn’t have time to go home between practice and school, so I would stay in the library to finish my homework and then go to practice. I got home by 8 p.m. and stayed up late because I still had to study.”
The long days were draining, but Inneh never doubted this new path she was on. Between schoolwork and volleyball, she was learning the value of discipline, focus, and routine.
“I was a kid, so it wasn’t really tiring for me,” she said. “I enjoyed it because I loved studying, I loved school, and I loved volleyball as well. It was just the daily routine, and I got used to it. I felt like if I didn’t take the chance then to go pro, I wouldn’t have it later. So, I went for it.”
Inneh’s first stop outside Romania brought her back to Hungary, where she joined Fatum Nyíregyháza for the remainder of the 2017-18 season. Over four seasons with the club, she grew into a dominant opposite hitter, learning not just to score but how to carry an offense.
During Inneh’s tenure, Fatum Nyíregyháza won the league title in 2021, as well as three Hungarian Cups in 2018, 2019, and 2021.
Her performances earned her a place on the Romanian senior national team for the 2018 FIVB World Championship European Qualification and the 2019 CEV European Championship, building on experience she had gained previously representing Romania at youth-level European and World Championship qualifiers.
Then came her biggest move yet: South Korea. Playing for Gwangju Pepper Savings Bank AI PEPPERS in 2021-22 and Daejeon Korea Ginseng Corp in 2022-23 tested her physically, mentally, and emotionally.
“It was a really difficult experience for me,” she said. “I had to deal with everything by myself. There was nobody I could really rely on. I loved every second of playing in Korea, but I learned so much. I kind of matured in my game and myself.”
Despite her on-court success, Inneh faced one of her toughest challenges during her second season in South Korea. A severe ankle twist came a month before the season started, threatening to derail all she had worked for.
“It was a really bad injury, and they told me I might have to take two months off,” she said. “I got back on the court a month later, on the first day of the season.”
The setback was more than physical. It was the first time she truly felt the distance from her family. Being in a foreign country, navigating a new language, and facing uncertainty about her contract left her anxious, even with supportive teammates and coaches around her. She had chosen to return for a second season because she believed she could achieve more than in her first, and the injury threatened to upend those plans.
“My focus was entirely on being healthy and helping my team as much as possible,” Inneh said. “We began my ankle rehab immediately, and I approached it with complete seriousness and consistency. I just wanted to be there for my teammates.”
Her determination paid off. Inneh returned for the season opener, playing in a grueling five-set match that her team ultimately won. That season, she became one of the league’s most prolific scorers, surpassing 1,000 points scored (first player in the league’s history since 2014) and recorded 56 points in a single match, one of the highest individual totals in volleyball history. She earned Best Opposite, Best Scorer, and Best Server honors, solidifying her place among the league’s elite.
After her breakthrough in South Korea, Inneh brought her talents to Poland for the 2023-24 season, where her individual success translated seamlessly into team achievements. Playing for Grupa Azoty Chemik Police, she helped the team capture both the Polish League title and the Polish Supercup, earning recognition as the league’s Best Foreigner.
Her time in Poland reinforced the importance of building team chemistry.
“Communication is crucial,” Inneh said. “You don’t have much time before the season starts, so it’s important to get to know the people around you quickly. You need to understand your teammates, your coaches, everyone, and figure out what they need.”
Inneh leans on language to bridge gaps in new places. Fluent in four languages (English, Hungarian, Romanian, and Spanish) and now learning German, she makes an effort to connect wherever she goes.
“Even though I’m an introvert, I really like people and I try to see different cultures and experiences,” she said. “Just seeing different lives and learning from them makes me a better person.”
Inneh immersed herself in the contrasting cultures of Turkey and France for a season and a half before arriving in the United States to join the Rise. Each stop added another layer to a career defined by constant adjustment and curiosity.
That rhythm, however, has always come with distance. No matter the country, the hardest part has rarely been volleyball. It has been being far from the people who matter most. Inneh remains especially close with her mother, even when travel and visas make in-person visits very rare. Video and phone calls have become the norm.
“My mom is really hardworking, but also very kind,” Inneh said. “She taught me you can be both. She inspires me.”
Her husband, former professional basketball player Andrei Pascu, understands the demands of a life spent in gyms and airports. Raised around the game himself, he knows when to offer advice and when to simply listen, a balance that Inneh values deeply. Their time together is often limited by schedules and geography, but the support remains steady, no matter the distance.
“He’s really patient with me,” Inneh said. “Sometimes I just need him to listen, and he does.”
Those relationships have helped Inneh navigate the mental side of a career that rarely slows down. Confidence, she says, comes from preparation and consistency rather than surroundings.
That mindset carried her to Major League Volleyball and the Rise, a move Inneh saw as both a new challenge and an opportunity to learn from a different volleyball culture. She had followed the league’s growth from afar and saw an opportunity to test herself alongside a mix of emerging and established players.
“I came here to do my best and help the team,” she said. “That’s always the goal. Obviously, I hope I can help to win the championship.”
After years of crossing borders and adapting to new systems, Inneh is still chasing improvement more than comfort. The sport that began with a simple incentive has taken her further than she ever imagined. The cookies were temporary. The dedication, the adventurous spirit, and the commitment to growth have stayed.
“I will not stop until I find a way to fix something or find a solution,” Inneh said. “I'm trying to do my best in whatever I do.”