Volleyball Transfer Portal Questions

[RightSaidTed]

For those who know a little more than me, I have several:
1. What is the timing? I know the portal is open, but traditionally what is the window for commitments?
2. Does NIL play any role in Volleyball transfers? Or is it just fit/opportunity?
3. Any players to keep an eye on? I know MB is the biggest need, but are there specific players we expect to be available and targeted by Fish and staff?

 

[chrisran24]

For those who are know a little more than me, I have several:
1. What is the timing? I know the portal is open, but traditionally what is the window for commitments?
2. Does NIL play any role in Volleyball transfers? Or is it just fit/opportunity?
3. Any players to keep an eye on? I know MB is the biggest need, but are there specific players we expect to be available and targeted by Fish and staff?

Transfer portal will close on Jan 1st. Not sure if there is a second window like in football

I think only the tiniest fraction of players would transfer for NIL. Not going to be seeing big bucks like in football, but maybe the big ones like Taylor Landfair or Reagan Rutherford would get some NIL deals in their transfer.

A couple of players in the portal to keep an eye on so far (this is just based on fit and not having any inside info):
Savannah Kjolhede - MB, Grad Transfer, Indiana
Natalie Foster - MB, Grad Transfer, Wichita State
Jordyn Williams - MB, Junior, Kentucky (committed to Kansas State)
Kristina Grkovic - MB, Grad Transfer, Rutgers
Jordan Hopp - MB, Grad Transfer, Iowa State (committed to Penn State)
Maggie Mendelson - MB, Junior, Nebraska (committed to Penn State)
Elise Goetzinger - MB, Grad Transfer, Kentucky (committed to Creighton)
Maddy Bilinovic - L/DS, Grad Transfer, Penn State (committed to Creighton)
Madyson Chitty - L/DS, Grad Transfer, Rutgers
Isabella Brady - L/DS, Grad Transfer, Davidson
Ellie Bolton - L/DS, Grad Transfer, Creighton (committed to SMU)

Pipe Dreams:
Ella Wrobel - OH, Junior, Wisconsin (committed to Ohio State)
Taylor Landfair - OH, Junior, Minnesota (committed to Nebraska)

Pipe Dreams Not in Portal:
Anastasia Russ - MB, Grad Transfer, Maryland - Russ is a Pitt local and former panther who couldn't get on the court a few years back as an underclassman and transferred to Maryland and has been really good there. She's 6'5. Would love for her to come back home for her last year.
Andelyn Simkins - L, Grad Transfer, Western Michigan - Simkins was the best libero not on a power team that I saw in the tournament. She could get NIL somewhere if she decides to transfer for her last year, and would probably win the starting libero job over Klika if she came to Pitt
Ally Batenhorst/Lindsay Krause - OH, Senior, Nebraska - One of these two is going to be spending their year on the bench in Lincoln next year if they don't transfer. But either one coming to Pitt would immediately raise both our hitting and blocking as the second OH and increase Pitt's national championship potential. This year Krause got hurt so when Harper Murray took the team by storm, Batenhorst was the second OH, but either one would be a big upgrade over VVG. Both are 6'4 with 1 year eligibility

Again, I have no inside info for any of these girls but these are names/roles that could be good fits. My guess is Fisher goes somewhere totally different but fun to have names to track

 

[PittMBA]

Transfer portal will close on Jan 1st. Not sure if there is a second window like in football

I think only the tiniest fraction of players would transfer for NIL. Not going to be seeing big bucks like in football, but maybe the big ones like Taylor Landfair or Reagan Rutherford would get some NIL deals in their transfer.

A couple of players in the portal to keep an eye on so far (this is just based on fit and not having any inside info):
Savannah Kjolhede - MB, Grad Transfer, Indiana
Natalie Foster - MB, Grad Transfer, Wichita State
Jordyn Williams - MB, Junior, Kentucky
Kristina Grkovic - MB, Grad Transfer, Rutgers
Jordan Hopp - MB, Grad Transfer, Iowa State
Maddy Bilinovic - L/DS, Grad Transfer, Penn State
Madyson Chitty - L/DS, Grad Transfer, Rutgers
Isabella Brady - L/DS, Grad Transfer, Davidson
Ellie Bolton - L/DS, Grad Transfer, Creighton

Pipe Dreams:
Ella Wrobel - OH, Junior, Wisconsin
Taylor Landfair - OH, Junior, Minnesota

Pipe Dreams Not in Portal:
Anastasia Russ - MB, Grad Transfer, Maryland - Russ is a Pitt local and former panther who couldn't get on the court a few years back as an underclassman and transferred to Maryland and has been really good there. She's 6'5. Would love for her to come back home for her last year.
Andelyn Simkins - L, Grad Transfer, Western Michigan - Simkins was the best libero not on a power team that I saw in the tournament. She could get NIL somewhere if she decides to transfer for her last year, and would probably win the starting libero job over Klika if she came to Pitt
Ally Batenhorst/Lindsay Krause - OH, Senior, Nebraska - One of these two is going to be spending their year on the bench in Lincoln next year if they don't transfer. But either one coming to Pitt would immediately raise both our hitting and blocking as the second OH and increase Pitt's national championship potential. This year Krause got hurt so when Harper Murray took the team by storm, Batenhorst was the second OH, but either one would be a big upgrade over VVG. Both are 6'4 with 1 year eligibility

Again, I have no inside info for any of these girls but these are names/roles that could be good fits. My guess is Fisher goes somewhere totally different but fun to have names to track

Keep posting any hunches and info !

 

[chrisran24]

Keep posting any hunches and info !

Will do, I follow the transfer portal tracker on X so if I see new names enter that would be good fits for Pitt I will add them to my post above. If Fish can grab one of the MBs and one of the DSs, I feel good about next year. If we can somehow add one of the top OHs in the portal, I would feel ecstatic

 

[PittMBA]

Will do, I follow the transfer portal tracker on X so if I see new names enter that would be good fits for Pitt I will add them to my post above. If Fish can grab one of the MBs and one of the DSs, I feel good about next year. If we can somehow add one of the top OHs in the portal, I would feel ecstatic

Yeah - I follow on Instagram and sometimes try to notice any Pitt follows … lol

 

[RightSaidTed]

Transfer portal will close on Jan 1st. Not sure if there is a second window like in football

I think only the tiniest fraction of players would transfer for NIL. Not going to be seeing big bucks like in football, but maybe the big ones like Taylor Landfair or Reagan Rutherford would get some NIL deals in their transfer.

A couple of players in the portal to keep an eye on so far (this is just based on fit and not having any inside info):
Savannah Kjolhede - MB, Grad Transfer, Indiana
Natalie Foster - MB, Grad Transfer, Wichita State
Jordyn Williams - MB, Junior, Kentucky
Kristina Grkovic - MB, Grad Transfer, Rutgers
Jordan Hopp - MB, Grad Transfer, Iowa State
Maddy Bilinovic - L/DS, Grad Transfer, Penn State
Madyson Chitty - L/DS, Grad Transfer, Rutgers
Isabella Brady - L/DS, Grad Transfer, Davidson
Ellie Bolton - L/DS, Grad Transfer, Creighton

Pipe Dreams:
Ella Wrobel - OH, Junior, Wisconsin
Taylor Landfair - OH, Junior, Minnesota

Pipe Dreams Not in Portal:
Anastasia Russ - MB, Grad Transfer, Maryland - Russ is a Pitt local and former panther who couldn't get on the court a few years back as an underclassman and transferred to Maryland and has been really good there. She's 6'5. Would love for her to come back home for her last year.
Andelyn Simkins - L, Grad Transfer, Western Michigan - Simkins was the best libero not on a power team that I saw in the tournament. She could get NIL somewhere if she decides to transfer for her last year, and would probably win the starting libero job over Klika if she came to Pitt
Ally Batenhorst/Lindsay Krause - OH, Senior, Nebraska - One of these two is going to be spending their year on the bench in Lincoln next year if they don't transfer. But either one coming to Pitt would immediately raise both our hitting and blocking as the second OH and increase Pitt's national championship potential. This year Krause got hurt so when Harper Murray took the team by storm, Batenhorst was the second OH, but either one would be a big upgrade over VVG. Both are 6'4 with 1 year eligibility

Again, I have no inside info for any of these girls but these are names/roles that could be good fits. My guess is Fisher goes somewhere totally different but fun to have names to track

Thanks! Extremely helpful and thorough. Much appreciated!!

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Transfer portal will close on Jan 1st. Not sure if there is a second window like in football

I believe all fall sports have a second window that runs from May 1 for 15 days.

 

[RightSaidTed]

If we can somehow add one of the top OHs in the portal, I would feel ecstatic

If he takes an OH it would have to be someone truly elite, right? Given the general excitement here about seeing Bayless, I’d think the universe of people he’d bring in to start ahead of both her and VVG would be pretty low.

 

[Franb]

I believe all fall sports have a second window that runs from May 1 for 15 days.

May Madness?

 

[chrisran24]

If he takes an OH it would have to be someone truly elite, right? Given the general excitement here about seeing Bayless, I’d think the universe of people he’d bring in to start ahead of both her and VVG would be pretty low.

Agreed. Would have to be an elite talent at OH. Pretty unlikely imo

 

[mike412]

There are two portal period in women’s volleyball. The first one opened December 4 and closes on January 1. The second is in the Spring.

Last year, a huge number of players went into the portal, including All-Americans. Last year, 8 of San Diego’s top 9 players came through the portal. So did all 6 of Texas’ starters. And, those teams met in the semifinals of the Final 4.

This year, 5 of those 6 transfers still were in Texas’ lineup. I believe Nebraska only had one transfer portal player, Merritt Beason from Florida, but she was a first team AA.

Fisher has used the portal pretty regularly. Two years ago, Gray and the OH from Missouri. Then Buzzerio from Iowa. This year, Bre Kelley, a MB, and Logan Mosley, a defensive specialist from VT. Also, Julia Dalton came through the portal from Washington State, but she has been injured most of her time at Pitt.

I have heard from a few people that Fisher was high on Rachel Jepsen as a MB before she got hurt. She basically missed the entire year. He likes to use two MBs and his top-rated incoming frosh is a MB. With questions about the health of Kelley and Jepsen, I would expect him to look for a MB in the portal. That will be his top priority I would expect.

I expect Bayless to be the third outside hitter in the rotation , and Fisher uses all three. Even if VVG comes back, I think he will go with Bayless.

Fairbanks will be a senior and I expect him to look for a setter even if he is happy with the progress of the frosh setter from Hawaii. I think if he can find a really good serving specialist he might also go that way. I believe Flood is gone, but although she had occasional good runs, she was nowhere near an elite server. The Nebraska coach was right; they outserved us by a large margin.

I mean if an awesome OH calls Fisher and says she wants to come to Pitt, I certainly think he would consider it, but that is the last position I think he would be actively pursuing.

Not sure it ends on May 15, but May 1 is correct for the start of the second portal period.

 

[vantheman1976]

I believe all fall sports have a second window that runs from May 1 for 15 days.

Yes...it is May 15th.

 

[vantheman1976]

Transfer portal will close on Jan 1st. Not sure if there is a second window like in football

I think only the tiniest fraction of players would transfer for NIL. Not going to be seeing big bucks like in football, but maybe the big ones like Taylor Landfair or Reagan Rutherford would get some NIL deals in their transfer.

A couple of players in the portal to keep an eye on so far (this is just based on fit and not having any inside info):
Savannah Kjolhede - MB, Grad Transfer, Indiana
Natalie Foster - MB, Grad Transfer, Wichita State
Jordyn Williams - MB, Junior, Kentucky
Kristina Grkovic - MB, Grad Transfer, Rutgers
Jordan Hopp - MB, Grad Transfer, Iowa State
Maddy Bilinovic - L/DS, Grad Transfer, Penn State
Madyson Chitty - L/DS, Grad Transfer, Rutgers
Isabella Brady - L/DS, Grad Transfer, Davidson
Ellie Bolton - L/DS, Grad Transfer, Creighton

Pipe Dreams:
Ella Wrobel - OH, Junior, Wisconsin
Taylor Landfair - OH, Junior, Minnesota

Pipe Dreams Not in Portal:
Anastasia Russ - MB, Grad Transfer, Maryland - Russ is a Pitt local and former panther who couldn't get on the court a few years back as an underclassman and transferred to Maryland and has been really good there. She's 6'5. Would love for her to come back home for her last year.
Andelyn Simkins - L, Grad Transfer, Western Michigan - Simkins was the best libero not on a power team that I saw in the tournament. She could get NIL somewhere if she decides to transfer for her last year, and would probably win the starting libero job over Klika if she came to Pitt
Ally Batenhorst/Lindsay Krause - OH, Senior, Nebraska - One of these two is going to be spending their year on the bench in Lincoln next year if they don't transfer. But either one coming to Pitt would immediately raise both our hitting and blocking as the second OH and increase Pitt's national championship potential. This year Krause got hurt so when Harper Murray took the team by storm, Batenhorst was the second OH, but either one would be a big upgrade over VVG. Both are 6'4 with 1 year eligibility

Again, I have no inside info for any of these girls but these are names/roles that could be good fits. My guess is Fisher goes somewhere totally different but fun to have names to track

Great post.....very good stuff. Last year by this time the portal was on fire with big names......not so much this year so far....just my gut feeling at the moment....we'll see how the rest of the month plays out.

 

[SorrentosRanch]

If you haven’t checked it out before, Volleytalk has a lot of transfer portal rumors and news, as well as some good, general volleyball discussions.

 

[chrisran24]

Great post.....very good stuff. Last year by this time the portal was on fire with big names......not so much this year so far....just my gut feeling at the moment....we'll see how the rest of the month plays out.

Agreed that there aren't as many big names so far this year. Some new movement last night, Nebraska just had two of their bench players go into the portal -
Caroline Jurevicius was the #17 overall recruit in the 2023 class and never saw the court as an Opposite due to Merritt Beason
Hayden Kubik was the #18 recruit in the 2022 class as an OH and hasn't played at all over her two years

Don't forsee Pitt going after either most likely but shows the portal is heating up a bit

 

[vantheman1976]

Agreed that there aren't as many big names so far this year. Some new movement last night, Nebraska just had two of their bench players go into the portal -
Caroline Jurevicius was the #17 overall recruit in the 2023 class and never saw the court as an Opposite due to Merritt Beason
Hayden Kubik was the #18 recruit in the 2022 class as an OH and hasn't played at all over her two years

Don't forsee Pitt going after either most likely but shows the portal is heating up a bit

Good catch on Jurevicius....it was clear she was unhappy with her redshirt.....saw an article about her a few weeks ago. By the way....and I hope this means nothing....Bayless is following the 4 Nebraska freshmen....Reilly, Murray, etc on instagram....and they are following her....makes me nervous.

 

[chrisran24]

Good catch on Jurevicius....it was clear she was unhappy with her redshirt.....saw an article about her a few weeks ago. By the way....and I hope this means nothing....Bayless is following the 4 Nebraska freshmen....Reilly, Murray, etc on instagram....and they are following her....makes me nervous.

Do you know if those are new follows? Possible they knew each other from some of the all star games in high school.

Also, no offense to Bayless, but if she transferred to Nebraska she would move way down in the OH pecking order, so I would be pretty shocked there. On the flip side, if Bayless going to Nebraska meant we picked up a Kubik or Wrobel, I would be ok with that. But I dont see either happening

 

[vantheman1976]

Do you know if those are new follows? Possible they knew each other from some of the all star games in high school.

Also, no offense to Bayless, but if she transferred to Nebraska she would move way down in the OH pecking order, so I would be pretty shocked there. On the flip side, if Bayless going to Nebraska meant we picked up a Kubik or Wrobel, I would be ok with that. But I dont see either happening

I'll look at instagram from time to time during transfer portal activity to gauge player interest with other programs. My grand daughters....who are constant instagram users....have told me that when a person or persons consistently appear at the top of someone's follower or following list they are actively interacting currently. Right now Bayless and the other Nebraska freshmen are doing just that. I don't know how long this has been going on because I only started looking at Bayless' instagram feed a couple of days ago.

 

[pittdan77]

I'll look at instagram from time to time during transfer portal activity to gauge player interest with other programs. My grand daughters....who are constant instagram users....have told me that when a person or persons consistently appear at the top of someone's follower or following list they are actively interacting currently. Right now Bayless and the other Nebraska freshmen are doing just that. I don't know how long this has been going on because I only started looking at Bayless' instagram feed a couple of days ago.

Instagram has kind of replaced Twitter for volleyball recruiting so it is the best place to watch, IMO.

I think middle is the most immediate need and Fisher has gone to the portal for middles a few times. Don't be shocked if a name comes out of nowhere for a player that isn't elite but has a good serve to replace what Kat was doing.

 

[vantheman1976]

Instagram has kind of replaced Twitter for volleyball recruiting so it is the best place to watch, IMO.

I think middle is the most immediate need and Fisher has gone to the portal for middles a few times. Don't be shocked if a name comes out of nowhere for a player that isn't elite but has a good serve to replace what Kat was doing.

Yes....that's why Kellen Petrone's instagram account is fun to check during the transfer portal activity this time of year.

 

[pittdan77]

If you do TikTok, @badsgone does updates. Guy is a little annoying but it's current.

 

[mike412]

Do you know if those are new follows? Possible they knew each other from some of the all star games in high school.

Also, no offense to Bayless, but if she transferred to Nebraska she would move way down in the OH pecking order, so I would be pretty shocked there. On the flip side, if Bayless going to Nebraska meant we picked up a Kubik or Wrobel, I would be ok with that. But I dont see either happening

Why would you want Wrobel over Bayless? She averaged 1.11 kills per set with a .156 hitting percentage. And, that was in 6 appearances against mainly weak opponents.

Is Jurevicious related to the former PSU/Denver Broncos WR?

 

[Sendai]

In the VT board there is a post by a person that seem well connected to the team (he was spot on with Kelley/Monks) he posted that an international MB will join the team in January

 

[chrisran24]

Becca Kelley (Bre's sister) just committed to TCU, never thought she was a fit for Pitt but I know she was mentioned in another thread

 

[chrisran24]

Why would you want Wrobel over Bayless? She averaged 1.11 kills per set with a .156 hitting percentage.

Is Jurevicious related to the former PSU/Denver Broncos WR?

Wrobel is 6'4 and was the #11 overall recruit in her class. She hasn't gotten hardly any chances behind the stacked Wisconsin pins. I'm not saying I want her over Bayless but if that was a swap there could be worse replacements to land.

 

[vantheman1976]

In the VT board there is a post by a person that seem well connected to the team (he was spot on with Kelley/Monks) he posted that an international MB will join the team in January

I recall seeing that as well.....just last week I think.....worth keeping that in mind.

 

[vantheman1976]

Why would you want Wrobel over Bayless? She averaged 1.11 kills per set with a .156 hitting percentage.

Is Jurevicious related to the former PSU/Denver Broncos WR?

Yes....Joe Jurevicius is her father.

 

[PittMBA]

I recall seeing that as well.....just last week I think.....worth keeping that in mind.

Was in the

I recall seeing that as well.....just last week I think.....worth keeping that in mind.

if you want to go down a rabbit hole > the VT thread says she is from Argentina

 

[RightSaidTed]

Yes....Joe Jurevicius is her father.

Jurevicius committed to Penn State. I know you are all shocked.

 

[HOF Coach]

Jurevicius committed to Penn State. I know you are all shocked.

"We A...oh, never mind!"

 

[vantheman1976]

Jurevicius committed to Penn State. I know you are all shocked.

Was probably a done deal before she even filled out the paperwork to transfer.....can't understand why she didn't go there to begin with.

 

[pittdan77]

Is Jurevicious related to the former PSU/Denver Broncos WR?

Yes. Her dad.

 

[pittdan77]

Jurevicius committed to Penn State. I know you are all shocked.

Not a bad move for them. Their offense really lacked a solid attack from the right side.

 

[veryrustyred]

RE: Julianna Dalton
There were 4 middle blockers on the team at the start of last season - "fortuitous," as two went down with season ending injuries.
My guess is that given the players ahead of her on the current roster, it's unlikely that Dalton will ever get significant playing time, let alone start again. Barring a number of serious injuries. She's listed at 6'5", but I think she may be a bit taller. There are currently 3 MB's on the roster - but two are coming off foot/ankle injuries and one is a true freshman.
Dalton may never have played the position before, but is it realistic that starting from day 1 of training (for the 2024 season), could she make the switch to MB...rather than integrating another MB from the transfer portal?

 

[chrisran24]

RE: Julianna Dalton
There were 4 middle blockers on the team at the start of last season - "fortuitous," as two went down with season ending injuries.
My guess is that given the players ahead of her on the current roster, it's unlikely that Dalton will ever get significant playing time, let alone start again. Barring a number of serious injuries. She's listed at 6'5", but I think she may be a bit taller. There are currently 3 MB's on the roster - but two are coming off foot/ankle injuries and one is a true freshman.
Dalton may never have played the position before, but is it realistic that starting from day 1 of training (for the 2024 season), could she make the switch to MB...rather than integrating another MB from the transfer portal?

Could she? Probably, she has the height and already is a capable blocker. Cat Flood was able to learn how to play MB this year as the default 3rd MB after the injuries and she had never played it before.

The flip side is, does she want to? If she wanted to transition to MB she probably would have started to do it this year with those injuries, since they had depth at OH with Bayless. I would assume Dalton prefers to play as a 6 rotation outside and doesn't want to play middle.

 

[mike412]

There is a big difference not only in how a MB uses her arms, but in the footwork. A MB does a lot more sliding and usually has to hit off a side step. When she has played, Dalton appeared to me to be most effective hitting from the back row or hitting from the left side after a run up. I doubt she could make the transition. Or wants to.

From the inactivity in the portal, either Fisher isn’t looking or hasn’t found what he wants. I don’t think there have been many quality MBs in the portal. Lots of OH but that isn’t a need. A few very good setters but very few defensive specialists, serve specialists or MBs.

We had 3 players use up their eligibility and one enter the portal. We have two freshmen coming in. We should have two open scholarships so I expected Fisher to be active. Maybe he plans to bring in two Europeans, but that would be very much against his past recruiting. Maybe he is just waiting for the right players. I think for volleyball the portal closes on January 15, but to get someone enrolled in time for the new semester he would need a commit this week.

 

[pittdan77]

There is a big difference not only in how a MB uses her arms, but in the footwork. A MB does a lot more sliding and usually has to hit off a side step. When she has played, Dalton appeared to me to be most effective hitting from the back row or hitting from the left side after a run up. I doubt she could make the transition. Or wants to.

Putting someone with chronic foot/ankle injuries at middle is sort of asking for trouble but it's not just hitting. A good middle has to read the setter effectively and move laterally quickly. One of the reason you don't always see the tallest player at middle is because they don't always move well (Anna Smrek comes to mind). Those players end up as opposites because they can still throw a decent block but don''t have to move a whole lot.

 

[chrisran24]

There is a big difference not only in how a MB uses her arms, but in the footwork. A MB does a lot more sliding and usually has to hit off a side step. When she has played, Dalton appeared to me to be most effective hitting from the back row or hitting from the left side after a run up. I doubt she could make the transition. Or wants to.

From the inactivity in the portal, either Fisher isn’t looking or hasn’t found what he wants. I don’t think there have been many quality MBs in the portal. Lots of OH but that isn’t a need. A few very good setters but very few defensive specialists, serve specialists or MBs.

We had 3 players use up their eligibility and one enter the portal. We have two freshmen coming in. We should have two open scholarships so I expected Fisher to be active. Maybe he plans to bring in two Europeans, but that would be very much against his past recruiting. Maybe he is just waiting for the right players. I think for volleyball the portal closes on January 15, but to get someone enrolled in time for the new semester he would need a commit this week.

I think there is still some really solid talent at MB in the portal. Natalie Foster from Wichita State and Savannah Kjolhede from Indiana are my two favorites, though I have no idea if Fisher or Petrone have been in contact with them. But agreed on the footwork aspect for Dalton. Didn't Bre Kelley come in after spring semester this past year? So its not a hard cutoff to get them in for this semester and still make them a big part of the team next year.