Nordonia volleyball star digs professional career

by Noell Wolfgram Evans

Volleyball has always been a part of Joy Banks’ life. The Nordonia High School alumna’s mother played collegiately at the University of Tennessee and her older sister played through high school. When Banks stepped on to the courts for the first time as a member of her middle school team, she knew she had found a home.

“I loved playing right from the start and my mom saw that,” Banks said. “So she started really teaching me how to play. She’d have me out on the court with the older girls and it was great.”

Banks is one of the lucky few who has been able to turn their on-court passion into a career. She recently signed an eight-month contract to play professionally with Fer Volley, a club team located in Kosovo. Although she had never set foot outside of the United States before, the decision to pack up her kneepads and head to Europe was an easy one.

All of the driveway practice with her mom laid the foundation for a stellar high school career. In her senior year, Banks was named Conference Player of the Year and was honored as District III Player of the Year. And those were just a few of the awards she collected on her way to becoming Nordonia’s all-time kills leader.

In 2021, she continued her career at Northern Kentucky University. At the end of her freshman year, she was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team. It was the first of several league honors she would collect during her four years.

“I never stopped loving the sport. When I was in my senior year of college, I didn’t want it to be over,” Banks said. She secured an agent and they started looking at post-college options. At the same time, Fer Volley had seen footage of her online and came calling. 

“That first practice was definitely interesting,” Banks said. “Just observing the way the coach worked, the differences in the volleyball culture there.” While the game is the game, Banks found one significant difference with how it was being played. “They use a different ball,” she said. “It’s actually a different type of material which took a little time to get used to.”

One thing she was glad she didn’t have to get used to was a new jersey number. She’s worn No. 6 throughout her volleyball career and that number was waiting for her in Kosovo.

Banks is playing with a true multi-national team. While the majority of the players are from Albania, there is a player from Ukraine, one from Brazil and a fellow American.

“It turns out she’s from Cincinnati. When we talked, we realized we had a lot of mutuals from clubs and stuff,” Banks said with a laugh. “My team is great. The girls are very nice, very genuine.”

Although Banks is far from the US, reminders of the country are not far. She plays daily under the smiling visage of President Bill Clinton in a 6,500-plus seat arena that bears his name. Although the season is only two games in, the crowds at the Palestra Bill Clinton in Kosovo have been supportive of Banks and her teammates. “We have had a lot of fans and the people are so nice. Whenever I am out, they go out of their way to say hello,” Banks said.

One of those games saw the team defeat their cross-town rivals in the Kosovo Supercup. Up next are the Federation Cup, Euro Cup and Super Cup battles.

When she’s not on the court, Banks lives with three teammates in an apartment the team furnished for them. “This is a great city,” she said. “We walk everywhere and it feels very safe.” As for what she misses about the US, Banks didn’t hesitate to say “breakfast food.”

Perhaps the key to her success on the court can be found in her name. “I just love the energy of the sport,” she said. “I love to be the hype person, to celebrate an amazing block or a kill. Honestly, I love the pressure too. It’s all so fun.”While professional volleyball has taken off around the world, including in the United States, Banks isn’t certain what she’ll do next. “We’ll see how the season goes,” she said. 

Photo caption: Joy Banks was Nordonia High School’s all-time kills leader on the volleyball team and earned several league honors on her team at Northern Kentucky University. She poses with her coach after winning the Kosovo Supercup with professional team Fer Volley in Europe. Photos submitted.