Future Cast: Portal Maddness Edition

The transfer portal madness is happening! We asked for some madness in December and we got an answer… although we wanted it in the tourney NOT the portal. But alas here we are with some madness in December. We have been talking at VB Adrenaline and trying to piece together where some of these top transfer portal prospects will end up and here are our latest predictions:

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Chloe Chicoine: The standout junior from Purdue with 2 years of eligibility left is most definitely a sought after outside hitter in the portal. According to our conversations, she may be one of the snags of the portal this year. The outside hitter plays 6 rotations and is dynamic in the front row as well as the backrow. She was a massive asset to Purdue last season and will be huge wherever she ends up. A thought was that the Louisville cardinals will have some big shoes to fill with Debeer graduating this year and a somewhat undersized OH is right up their alley leading us to predict UofL as a front runner. Although this made sense we have heard some rumblings about Louisville's rival, Pitt possibly being out in front for this Big Ten OH. She would fill the shoes of Valeria Vazquez Gomez and be a very similar hitter to what the panthers are used to. But on the west coast, USC is also looking to fill some shoes and Chicoine always has loved a fast tempo ball similar to those that they run with the Trojans so we are also looking at USC as a slight potential.

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Eva Hudson: The other half of the dynamic duo from Purdue that is in the portal currently. Another one of the top OH in the country and she just so happens to be from the same school as Chloe Chicoine. That leaves us with TWO of the top OH in the nation in the portal. Hudson led the Boilermakers in kills all season and is also offensive from the front and back court. The Nittany Lions at PSU are losing not one but two OH this season and will need someone with some experience to help out on that outside pin. They have already secured Sellman from Ohio State so it would make sense that they are on the hunt for another OH to fill Mruzik’s shoes. That's why PSU is our future cast prediction for Eva Hudson.

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Lizzie Carr: Another Purdue attacker in the portal. Now Carr wasn't as influential as the other two on this list but she is a very offensive hitter standing at 6’6” and can play right side or middle blocker. Although she didn't see a ton of court time this season, she will make any team that she is on better. That's why we think she will end up a Kentucky wildcat with 90% certainty. The Wildcats need a power RS hitter that will also be a solid block and Carr is a great solution for that. We think this prediction could be a great fit for both parties!

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Grace Lopez: Another right side attacker with a lot of power and one that did in fact make an impact last season and is bound to make one wherever she lands. She led Miami in kills with 407 for the season while hitting at a .207% clip. She is an impressive attacker that anyone who needs a right side will be looking for. And who are two teams graduating opposites? None other than rivals, Wisconsin and Nebraska. We went back and forth on how certain one over the other was and ultimately think that Nebraska may have the upper hand, but the Badgers are surly keeping their eyes on Lopez!

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Malaya Jones: The Colorado State opposite hitter is a big time portal entry. She is an experienced player that will bring a wealth of knowledge to the table at any school she plays at. One school that could only benefit from experience is Vanderbilt. Anders Nelson and his staff are starting from scratch and next year will be their first season playing volleyball at Vandy. The staff secured a big time transfer from Princeton, but scoring Jones would for sure benefit the Comodores. On the other hand, like we talked about earlier, UK Wildcats need a strong right side hitter and they most definitely can find that in Jones. Either way we are thinking SEC for this strong opposite attacker!

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Pehekran Kong: Louisville's star middle blocker with a ton of sass and a whole lot of power! PK will make a change anywhere she goes especially with the wealth of knowledge she has. Her team is still playing so we wouldn't expect to hear anything from her about the portal quite yet, but since she is graduate transferring for one season, her name is in the mix! Any team who needs a middle blocker will be looking at PK and trying to snag her in the portal race. But we are leaning towards the pairing of her and UCLA for her final season in the NCAA. The Bruins need to fill Dodson’s role and PK will fit those shoes nicely. It would be a bit of a switch up from the ACC to the Big Ten but she will be used to the speed in the ACC that UCLA likes to run with. On the other hand we were considering ASU to be a fit for her as well due to their needs in the middle. Wherever she ends up PK will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience as well as some serious talent to the court!

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Eloise Brandewie: Ohio States two year starting middle blocker is in the portal and looking for a new home. Another attacker that any school in need of a middle will be looking at. She ran the slide well for the Buckeyes and will fill that role nicely wherever she ends up. There are a lot of schools that were thrown out for Brandewie and we could see her changing her mind and finding a new home completely but the schools we thought would make sense were SMU at 40% because they can always fill shoes after graduating so many this season. Creighton also at 40% due to their need of filling Goetzinger’s shoes. From one slide hitter to another for the Jays? And finally Purdue at 10% because of so much change happening in that program, could Brandewie be the solution coach Shondell and the Boilermakers are looking for?

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