The NCAA volleyball portal went alive yesterday with athletes permitted to announce their intent to transfer. It closes on January 1, 2024. A 2nd window opens during the spring....opening on May 1, 2024 and closing on May 15th. Last year the portal was on fire with transfers. With the extra COVID year coming to a close the portal may not be as hot this year.....we'll see. Pitt loses 5 seniors.....Akeo, Flood, Monks, Nwokolo, and Mosely. With 3 freshman coming in look for Fisher and staff to bring in at least 2 transfers. The obvious need is MB. With Monks and Nwokolo gone and Jepsen and Kelly recovering from injury this is a must have. Freshman MB Ryla Jones will be an important new recruit in that regard. I think the 2nd need will be L/DS. In terms of parsing out who are the big names in the transfer portal we'll look at the soon to be announced NCAA All American teams. Last year saw a number of AAs transferring. Once those teams are announced....which should be just before the final four championship next week....we can begin to identify who the biggest names will be. On a final note....there is a big question whether any of Pitt's ladies will enter the portal. I will not be surprised if one or two transfer.
Volleyball Portal Is Now Alive
- Thread starter vantheman1976
- Start date
Is there anyone on the pitt roster that would make any sense transferring? Maybe Jepsen, but she's coming off an injury and our top 2 MB's are graduating. Bayless as well, but she should start getting more rotation next season and then be the locked in starter once VVG graduates.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
Honestly, we're just waiting to find out who's getting taken from a B10 squad and inserted into the "Become an All-American" doohickey that Dan Fisher seems to have somewhere on campus
I think it comes down to someone wanting more playing time.....but I'd rather not speculate while the team is still competing. If someone decides to transfer we'll know by the end of the month.
Do you think Bayless could fill the role to sub in as an OH (VVG) and also as an opposite (Babcock)? She's pretty athletic. Is that realistic?
These are my thoughts. Too early to worry with team currently in the tourney.
If anyone were to transfer, my guess would be it's an upperclassman looking for a starting role that they got blocked at from Pitt.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
I think if she can block well, it's possible. Hitting is a bit different out of the right side but I don't think it's a huge transition.
Could she surpass VVG? I feel like her ceiling is higher so I really hope that she stays. H2P
pittdan77
Athletic Director
Boy, I don't know. VVG has really elevated her game. Good problems.
Was looking at the roster, and there isn't too much of a logjam at spots, I think it would just be Cat, Dillyn, and Bayless we would wonder about.
Lexis obviously doesn't play much anymore but she's out of eligibility. Dalton has been injured and already transferred once, so I'm not sure if she would want to do that again. Cat will have 1 more year because of COVID, if she wants to be a starter somewhere. Dillyn is stuck behind Klika for the libero position. And then Blaire is behind VVG/Babcock/Stafford right now.
Lexis obviously doesn't play much anymore but she's out of eligibility. Dalton has been injured and already transferred once, so I'm not sure if she would want to do that again. Cat will have 1 more year because of COVID, if she wants to be a starter somewhere. Dillyn is stuck behind Klika for the libero position. And then Blaire is behind VVG/Babcock/Stafford right now.
The other two recruits are a L/DS and a S/RS.
I'm curious if he'll stick with the 5-1 next year or if he'll want any Fairbanks attacking in her final season.
Fairbanks is too good of a setter to take her out of that rotation. I think he would prefer to run the 6-2 if he had two setters with a more even skillset but you can't take the ball out of Rachel's hands. She's one of the top 5 setters in the country right now.
My prediction actually is if anyone, Dalton will transfer, as she has 2 years of eligibility and will be the 4th OH on the team next year assuming Bayless stays. This is her 4th year of college so I bet she is graduating this year and will get a free transfer, and she could go to a team that needs OH help and be a starter. Cat Flood would be the other one if she decides she wants to start at OH for her last year, but my hunch is she stays for her last year.
Bayless isn't going anywhere. I'd be stunned if Jepsen left. The only one that wouldn't surprise me leaving would be Dalton - for a combination of playing time & TikTok reasons.
Fisher mentioned last week that he didn't anticipate being heavily active in the portal this year. He also mentioned that only 2 of the 3 2024 recruits have signed their letter of intent as of this week...
I walked away thinking they'd only hit the portal if a talent entered that was too good to pass up. They sounded bullish on the middles and they mentioned Ryla Jones - an incoming middle - by name, so she's not one they don't have an NLI from.
Fisher mentioned last week that he didn't anticipate being heavily active in the portal this year. He also mentioned that only 2 of the 3 2024 recruits have signed their letter of intent as of this week...
I walked away thinking they'd only hit the portal if a talent entered that was too good to pass up. They sounded bullish on the middles and they mentioned Ryla Jones - an incoming middle - by name, so she's not one they don't have an NLI from.
This year proves you need 4 middles though. If the worst case scenario happens, he didnt hit the portal for a middle this offseason and somehow Jepsen and Kelley get hurt again, then we would be left with a freshman middle and Cat Flood forced into playing middle. There will be someone Fisher gets. I'll tell you who I would love it to be - Anastasia Russ transferring back to Pitt for her final season. She hit .346 with 185 kills, over 1 block per set for a decent but not tournament-worthy Maryland team. She could totally have a Monks-esque year back at Pitt next year. And she's a Pittsburgh local. Idk if anyone knows if her departure was amicable and she just left to get more playing time elsewhere or not
Pitt put out a press release about the recruiting class. I didn't think that they could name the recruits unless they had signed.
Fisher Announces 2024 Recruiting Class - Pitt Panthers #H2P
Head Coach Dan Fisher and Pitt Volleyball announce the addition of Ryla Jones, Mallorie Meyer and Kiana Dinn to the 2024 recruiting class.
pittsburghpanthers.com
Having VVG and Bayless next year will be a luxury. The best scenario would be them splitting time and making each other better. No inside info, but Bayless looks too happy on the sidelines to transfer. She is a great teammate and I think Fisher rewarded her with some playing time against Coppin State.
Novice question - Volleyball has 12 full scholarships, so who are the 4 on our roster not on scholarship? H2P!
Novice question - Volleyball has 12 full scholarships, so who are the 4 on our roster not on scholarship? H2P!
Pitt put out a press release about the recruiting class. I didn't think that they could name the recruits unless they had signed.
Fisher Announces 2024 Recruiting Class - Pitt Panthers #H2P
Head Coach Dan Fisher and Pitt Volleyball announce the addition of Ryla Jones, Mallorie Meyer and Kiana Dinn to the 2024 recruiting class.
That is correct. Coaches are not allowed to publicly talk about recruits until they sign a LOI.
IDK, she has 110k followers. Looks like she has a deal or two with PA Beef Council etc. Her videos are quite harmless, recipes, make up tips. other cornball things that 20 something college kids like my daughter and son watch. https://www.tiktok.com/@julnadalton?lang=en
pittdan77
Athletic Director
Chance she could leave if she wanted to play a season with her sister? She's still close with Cam Ennis, too.
Regarding Cam Ennis....I recall that she wanted to go to vet school. She's in St. Kitts.....West Indies. Turns out there's a vet school there. Julianna has had it rough since her injury late last year.....fracture of the femoral neck in her hip. I don't know how easy it is to come back from that kind of serious injury. On top of that....the 2 freshman have made it very difficult for her to get back in the lineup. I wish her the best. She's an authentic team player.
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