The Columbus Fury have signed nine players during the 2025 Free Agency period, as the club builds its roster for the 2026 season. The roster at this point features a pair of returning players from last season and the additions of several highly experienced international players.

“What we learned from last year is that we lacked a little bit of experience,” said head coach Angel Perez. “We lost a lot of close matches, in five sets, which I think the lack of experience in our players showed up. What we wanted to do this year is build a team with a little more experience, without taking away some of the youth pieces that we enjoyed.

“We also wanted to get more size. What we have seen the past few years is the teams that are bigger on the right side and in the middle are the teams that have the most success. At the moment, 90% of our team has professional experience and six of the players have multiple years of experience in leagues across Europe.”

In addition to  returners Raina Terry and Abby Walker the Fury have also added four other players with ties to the Midwest – Ashley Evans, Taylor Fricano, Rachel Gomez and Regan Pittman.

Anastasiia Bavykina and Aleksandra Jegdic come to Major League Volleyball after more than a decade of professional volleyball in Europe. Audrey Pak will make her professional volleyball debut after a four-year career at UCLA.

Here are the nine free agents signed by the Fury:

Anastasiia Bavykina | OH | 6-2 | Moscow, Russia
An accomplished outside hitter from Russia, Bavykina joins the team for the 2026 season. Bavykina brings a wealth of professional experience to Major League Volleyball, having played more than a decade in Russia.

Ashley Evans | S | 6-1 | Liberty Township, Ohio | Purdue
The 2024 PVF leader in assists for the Grand Rapids Rise, Evans joins the Columbus Fury for the 2026 season. Following the inaugural PVF season, Evans went back overseas to play for Bergamo in the Italian League.

Taylor Fricano | OPP | 6-4 | Palatine, Ill. | Wisconsin/North Carolina
An experienced professional with seven years of experience in Europe and Asia, Fricano has signed with the Columbus Fury for the 2026 season. Most recently Fricano spent the 2024-25 season in the South Korean V League for the Gwangju AI Peppers.

Rachel Gomez | MB | 6-1 | Sturgis, Mich. | Western Kentucky
Rachel Gomez joins the Columbus Fury after four seasons abroad in Germany and a four-year collegiate career at Western Kentucky. Early in Gomez’s professional career, she helped VC Neuwied 77 finish first in 2. Bundesliga and gain promotion.

Aleksandra Jegdic | L | 5-6 | Belgrade, Serbia
A World Championship gold medal winning libero, Jegdic has signed for the Columbus Fury for the 2026 season. She brings an impressive resume to MLV, with high-level international experience on the Serbian National Team. 

Audrey Pak | S | 5-11 | Moraga, Calif. | UCLA
Following a four-year career at UCLA, Audrey Pak joins the Columbus Fury as a rookie in 2026. Pak became the starting setter in her final two seasons for the Bruins and dished out 2,210 career assists.

Regan Pittman | MB | 6-4 | Spring Hill, Kansas | Minnesota
A veteran of MLV, Pittman joins the Columbus Fury for her third season in the league. After playing for the regular season champions Atlanta Vibe in 2024, she starred for the San Diego Mojo last season and led the PVF in blocks per set with an 0.93 mark.

Raina Terry | OH | 6-3 | Marengo, Ohio | Illinois
Terry returns to the Columbus Fury for her second season. The Highland High School alum made an immediate impact in her first season, finishing second on the team with 2.55 kills per set (194 kills) and 3.11 points per set (236).

Abby Walker | MB | 6-1 | Cambridge, Ohio | Cincinnati 
The team leader in blocks after being selected with the 32nd overall pick in the 2024 PVF Draft, Walker returns to the Columbus Fury for her second season. Walker played in a team-high 99 sets and was the only Fury player to compete in all 28 matches.