The transfer portal has really changed the trajectory of college sports, with athletes having the decisive role of moving on to another school or remaining at their former school after the postseason. This year’s transfer portal opened as early as the second week of December, as the postseason NCAA Championships were in preparation. Several transfers have been successfully executed, and a big backlog of athletes awaits the finalization of the transfer process.
Eva Hudson
The senior student-athlete who plays as an outside hitter chose to part ways with Purdue University. Eva, who had played for Boilermakers for the past three years, decided to enter the transfer portal after the team’s games this year. She had a great 2024 season on the floor, leading the Big Ten with 567 kills.
She hit over .450 in the opening matches at the 2024 NCAA Tournament with a percentage of .455 and .562 in the Western Michigan and Loyola Chicago games, respectively. Her performance played a great role in solidifying the Boilermakers’ move to the Sweet 16 of the tournament. Unfortunately, they fell short to the number-one-seeded Louisville University in the Regional semifinals. This was one of the best season runs for the Purdue Program, with an overall .794 game percentage and .800 conference percentage. Eva joined the Kentucky Wildcats, which finished with a .875 conference percentage after losing to Pittsburgh in the NCAA Regional Tournament.
Akasha Anderson and Nataly Moravec
Purdue Boilermakers, on the other hand, have also gone back to boost their squad with the departure of their top key player. The team added Akasha Anderson from Michigan State and Nataly Moravec from Iowa. The duo are both outside hitters and will combine their past experiences from their colleges to support the Boilermakers in this year’s campaign. Anderson had 356 kills and a 3.27 kills per set for the Wolverines. Nataly was a redshirt freshman at BYU before transferring to Iowa, where she had 286 kills and averaged 2.577 kills per set.
Torrey Stafford
The Pittsburgh Volleyball All-American Sophomore entry into the transfer came as a surprise to college volleyball fans. Torrey was named to the 2024 AVCA First Team All-American, the 2024 First Team All-ACC, the 2024 AVCA East Coast Region Team and the 2024 AVCA National Player of the Year Semifinalist. She completed the season with 772 kills, 67 assists, 35 Aces and 882 points on the offensive side, with 454 digs, 12 solo blocks, 128 assisted blocks and 140 total blocks.
She led Pittsburgh to the National Semifinal game against Louisville, which ended their winning streak. It was a historic season for the Pittsburgh Panthers, ending the season with a .950 conference and .943 overall. Her departure from the Pittsburgh Volleyball team is a blow to the team, which already lost five players who were seniors. She has not yet confirmed which schools she will commit to.
Caylen Alexander
Mizzou volleyball was quick to pick the Big West Player of the Year to their roster. The outside hitter whose impact on the University of Hawaii team led to its second straight postseason appearance at the NCAA volleyball Tournament. The 6’0 Junior was named to the 2024 AVCA All-American Honorable Mention, 2024 AVCA All-Region (Pacific), Big West Player of the Year and All-Big West First Team. She completed the season with 611 kills, 22 assists and 676.5 points.
San Jose State University
The SJSU women’s volleyball team had a dramatic season following a number of teams forfeiting and canceling their games against them. This was after the transgender rumors about one of their players sparked a lot of controversy and have become central to the conversation about the inclusion of transgender women in women’s sports. The team has so far lost seven players to the transfer portal and it has six players who are seniors and will not be returning to the school. The program will have to undergo a full re-establishment and build-up after losing most of its players. The team, which plays in the Mountain West Conference finished the 2024 season with a .667 in conference and overall.
Transfer Portal
The trend of college students entering the transfer portal has seen a growth in trajectory, with the number hitting as high as 31,000 in 2023. More students are moving from school to school, which poses a challenge for coaches to become more adaptive and ready to work with new rosters. Another reality athletes have also had to face with the transfer portal is the inability to land a new school despite indicating their decision to transfer. In 2024, only 45% of students were able to transfer through the portal.
