The 2025 college volleyball portal caused quite a stir when it opened even before the other NCAA Championship concluded. However, while the uproar gradually died down, things got dicey at the Purdue volleyball. In a shocking twist, multiple returning volleyball stars, such as Eva Hudson, Chloe Chicoine, and Lourdes Myers, chose to enter their names in the transfer portals.

Losing talents such as Hudson, who became the fastest Boilermaker to reach 1,000 career kills, would naturally be a massive blow to the team. The concerning development revealed two problems at Purdue. “Hearing rumors it comes down to: 1. NIL 2. Lack of championship contention,” BoilerMuse posted on X. However, coach Dave Shondell has eased worries with positive news.

Purdue volleyball utilizes the transfer portal to its advantage

While the volleyball portal initially spelled trouble for the Boilermakers, coach Shondell, and the recruiters have turned things around. Coach Shondell explained that the university has earned the commitment of several new players since the top talent expressed their interest in leaving. “The ⁦@BoilerBlock⁩ & ⁦@PurdueVB⁩ fans will be pleased,” Shondell started.

“Since Dec. 18th, our program has received verbal commitments or signed letters from six tremendous student-athletes,” the Purdue volleyball coach explained in his post on X. The 66-year-old also zeroed in on a particular commonality between all the new signees. “Heights are 6’5, 6’4, 6’4, 6’2-, 6’2, & 6’1. On Jan. 13th, 15 Boilers will be in Holloway!” concluded the coach.

Let’s take a minute to figure out who these players are. The first to sign on the dotted line was USC middle blocker Lindsey Miller (6’4), followed by Michigan State OH Akasha Anderson (6’3) and another OH Nataly Moravec (6’3) who transferred to West Lafayette from Iowa. Finally, their newest official signing is another middle blocker, Miami’s Bianka Lulić (6’5).

Yet, since the Purdue volleyball coach didn’t reveal any names, two of the six players remain unknown. However, another more interesting question would be why the coach chose to emphasize the heights of the new Boilermaker members.

The new wave will have big boots to fill

With top offensive talents such as Eva Hudson, and Chloe Chicoine, and versatile blockers Raven Colvin, Lourdes Myers, and Lizzie Carr on their way out, the team is literally losing it’s height. Almost everyone in the 2024 roster is below the 6-foot mark. Hence, the coach was so keen to highlight that those joining would fulfill that requirement.

However, while height may be an advantage for outside hitters and middle blockers, the new recruits will have big boots to fill at Purdue. Raven Colvin’s skills helped her turn pro, while heavy hitters like Hudson and Chicoine achieved 4.81 kills/set and 3.08 kills/set. Their efforts helped Purdue volleyball reach the NCAA Sweet 16, falling to eventual finalists Kentucky.

Thankfully, the three experienced newcomers coming to Purdue are arriving with impressive resumes. Moravec showed incredible consistency in the Iowa Hawkeyes, playing 110 of the 111 sets the teams played across the season. The outside hitter also scored 286 kills, averaging 3.06 kills/set for her side. Meanwhile, Anderson was the top hitter for Michigan.

Playing in every match throughout the season, Anderson scored 356 kills and 410.5 points for her team. And while Miller hasn’t played in 2024, she averaged 1.59 kills and 0.91 blocks/set for USC in 2023. How do you think the new arrivals will fare at West Lafayette? Tell us your views in the comments.