Greater Sudbury's Kristina Fabris has signed a professional contract to play overseas in Finland.
Fabris, 22, just finished her senior season with the University of South Florida (USF) women's volleyball team, which competes at the NCAA Division I level.
The lone senior on the 2007 team, Fabris excelled for South Florida both on and off the court and will now take her talents to Pihtipudas, Finland to play for the Pislaploki team. The season starts in August.
"I am very excited to start this new chapter in my life," said Fabris in a press release. "Playing professional has been a dream of mine since beginning my college career and it is great to see it come true. I look forward to experiencing new cultures, meeting new people, traveling and continuing my volleyball career on a new stage."
The season in the Finland Volleyball League will run from mid-August until April, and Pislaploki will be utilizing Fabris as both an outside and right side attacker.
"I am thrilled for Kristina and proud of all of her accomplishments," said USF head coach Claire Lessinger. "She continues to get better everyday and should have a long and prosperous pro career. She is a person that will take full advantage of this great opportunity."
Before signing with Finland, Fabris' career already included several experiences at the international level.
During several summers throughout both her high school and collegiate career, Fabris was one of twelve chosen to represent the Province as a member of Canada's Team Ontario. On the squad, Fabris helped her team win the gold at the 2005 Canada Summer Games by defeating Manitoba, 3-1, in the finals.
In 2006, Fabris traveled to Europe to play for USA Red in the DKV Volleyball Tournament in Germany and the Netherlands. Fabris was a part of the team that recorded a victory over AMVJ, the fourth-ranked European team.
The five-foot-10 standout recently completed a great academic career at USF with a degree in exercise science and was awarded USF's Institutional Female Scholar Athlete of the Year this past February.
During her senior year Fabris was a second team All-BIG EAST selection and a Strength and Conditioning All-American.
Fabris ranked second on the team in kills (409), kills per game (3.79) and digs (333) during the 2007 season. She has tallied a total of 1413 kills and 967 digs throughout her career at USF.
Named the Conference USA Freshman of the Year in 2004, Fabris set the tone early for the Bulls for a four-year tenure that will go down as one of the finest in school history.
