The college volleyball community still hasn’t recovered from Aniya Warren’s bombshell move. The 5’8″ libero was all set to join the Purdue Boilermakers’ 2025 class, but in a twist no one saw coming, she decommitted and pledged her allegiance to the Wisconsin Badgers instead. As if that wasn’t enough drama, NCAA star Chloe Chicoine has thrown her name into the transfer portal. The sophomore outside hitter was a major reason Purdue even made it to the NCAA postseason this year, averaging 3.08 kills and 2.95 digs per set. Fans are still scratching their heads over why she’d jump ship now.
And just when volleyball hearts couldn’t take more, another heavy hitter is heading for the transfer portal. Nope, she’s not from Purdue, but she did lead her team to the NCAA Volleyball Final Four, practically dragging them there single-handedly. This latest twist? It’s got the fandom in pieces.
An All-American sophomore enters the transfer portal
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On December 29, On3 sports’ Talia Goodman broke the news on X. The journalist penned, “Pitt volleyball OH and AVCA First Team All-American Torrey Stafford has entered the transfer portal, a source told @On3sports.” At first, it sounded too wild to be true—how could Torrey Stafford, such a key player for the Pittsburgh Panthers, be leaving? Last season, Stafford was crucial to Pitt’s success. The sophomore racked up 400 kills (second only to Olivia Babcock), with a solid 3.70 kills per set. She also grabbed 252 digs at 2.33 digs per set. Those numbers weren’t just impressive—they helped keep the Panthers in the mix at the top of the game. So, how did these performances pay off for Pitt?
Pairing with Olivia, Torrey helped Pitt finish the season with an insane 33-2 overall record, 19-1 in the ACC, and clinch their third straight ACC title. But now, just when things were looking perfect, Torrey is reportedly on the way out. Internal sources from the Panthers have confirmed the news, and suddenly, Pitt’s powerhouse outside hitters are teetering on the edge.
Let’s not forget, Valeria Vazquez Gomez and Cat Flood, two phenomenal outside hitters, already departed after graduation. And now, just when you thought it couldn’t get crazier, Torrey Stafford is following suit. Was there any hint of this in the postseason? Nope, not even a whisper. In fact, Stafford’s performances kept Pitt ahead of the Nebraska Huskers for weeks. So, what’s going on behind the scenes? A closer look might help explain just how big of a deal this move really is.
In 2024, Stafford earned AVCA First-Team All-American honors. Stafford had one of the highest hitting percentages in the NCAA this year for pin hitters. The 0.358 hitting percentage she achieved by the end of the 2024 season ranked fifth among all pin hitters in the NCAA and second among all Power Five pin hitters. She was also named a First-Team All-ACC selection in 2023 and 2024. But now the sophomore is in the transfer portal, ready to move to a new volleyball program. The volleyball fans, meanwhile, are in a compromised state. They have failed to decode the entire situation. For them, Stafford’s decision has come out of the blue. So, naturally, anger has taken over.
Angry volleyball fans lash out at college sports
“College sports is a mess,” a volleyball fan wrote on X, and what could be the reason for this frustration? Maybe the ongoing drama on the transfer portal! It’s not every day you see a sophomore All-American and First-Team All-ACC pick—like Torrey Stafford—jumping ship from the very school that helped her get there. One fan summed it up perfectly: “That doesn’t make sense.” The exact reason behind Stafford’s decision remains a mystery, but there’s no denying she’s about to make history as the first decorated Pitt volleyball player to enter the transfer portal with years of eligibility still on the table. Oh, and let’s not forget—she’s the first Pitt volleyball player to enter the transfer portal this off-season. For fans, it’s a tough pill to swallow.
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“W** is going on,” one fan exclaimed on X. The truth? No one knows. There are rumors she could end up at USC or Nebraska, but what’s certain is that the Panthers are about to lose a player who ranked fourth among all outside hitters in the class of 2023. For die-hard Pitt volleyball fans, this news is like a punch in the gut. One fan wrote, “This might be the last thing I was expecting to see today. Not good news at all for #Pitt volleyball.” Replacing someone like Torrey Stafford? That’s going to be a tall order. But the Panthers will just have to deal with it.
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In the meantime, some fans are sniffing around the money angle, wondering if cash might be what’s driving Stafford’s decision. “Football and basketball aren’t the only sports where college athletes now enter the transfer portal to test the market,” one fan pointed out. True, money talks in those sports, with players jumping from program to program for bigger deals. But does that apply to volleyball? So far, the signs aren’t there. This is uncharted territory. One thing’s for sure, though: December 29 was not a good day for Pitt volleyball fans. What do you think?
Volleyball Fans Angered as Another NCAA Star’s Transfer Revelation Stuns the Community: “College Sports Is a Mess”
