Women's Volleyball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
Erin Fairs returned to Rice as an assistant coach in February of 2025.
This marks Fairs’ second stint on the Rice coaching staff, first coaching as a volunteer assistant in 2020.
Fairs joins the staff following her retirement from professional volleyball. Most recently, Fairs played for Athletes Unlimited Professional Volleyball and served on the Athletes Unlimited Executive Board.
Fairs signed her first professional contract with Engelholms in the Swedish league and went on to win the 2015-16 Elitserien (Swedish volleyball women’s championships). Afterwards, she would go on to play in Turkey (Maltepe Yali SK), Puerto Rico (Polluelas de Aibonito) and Romania (CSM Targoviste). After finishing the 2017-18 season in Romania, Fairs was a member of “Team Dream,” which won the USA Adult Open National Championship. The squad was the first ever all-African American team to compete in the women’s open division at the event. She then signed to play volleyball in Italy with Omag San Giovanni in Marignano before playing with Aris Thessloniki in Greece. She would conclude her international playing days in 2021 when she returned to Puerto Rico, this time playing for Valencianas de Juncos.
Fairs’ final season of college volleyball was spent at Louisville, where she was named an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, leading the Cardinals in kills (424) and solo blocks (19). She was an ACC All-Preseason pick and had 5 matches with 20 or more kills. She scored double digit points in all but three matches. She had 25+ points against Miami and Pitt and had double digit points against every nationally ranked opponent, including 23 vs. Minnesota and 17.5 vs. Wisconsin. She concluded her senior year averaging 3.91 kills per set and 4.35 points per set, contributing to a balanced offense that featured four key scoring threats.
Fairs began her collegiate career at South Florida, immediately making an impact on the court for the Bulls. She was a three-time All-Conference selection, highlighted by being named First-Team All-AAC recognition during her junior season at USF after tallying 489 kills and 481 digs. During her sophomore season, Fairs was named the 2013 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and First-Team All-AAC after leading the league with 429 kills. Fairs showcased her versatility, leading the Bulls in points, kills, and digs during her sophomore campaign, earning Honorable Mention All-Region notice and a spot on the All-AAC First Team. Her accomplishments began in her freshman season by earning the 2012 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year honor and Second-Team All-BIG EAST recognition, leading the Bulls with 316 kills while adding 313 digs. Her impressive stats include ranking eighth in USF history with 1,234 kills in three seasons and fourth in USF history with 1,301 career digs.
Fairs was a four-year starter at Foster High School in Richmond, Texas, under head coach Tara Domel. She was named First Team All-District during her junior year in 2010, as well as named Honorable Mention All-Texas Team. She also played club volleyball for the Southwest Juniors and for Absolute Volleyball Academy (AVA) under Christy Crislip and Katy Garza. Other than volleyball, she also played basketball and competed in track at FHS.
