Spring Portal Day One: Deep Dive

While the first day of the portal being open was slightly overshadowed by all the pre-opening announcements, there are several new players confirmed to be looking for a new home for the 2026 season. The biggest news of all comes out of the Big Ten, as a very promising freshman setter has decided to look elsewhere…

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Reese Messer - S - USC: What could have been USC’s “Messer era” is not to be. The 5’11” setter, originally from Kansas, earned All-Big Ten First Team honors for setting the Women of Troy to a .253 efficiency this past season. Unsurprisingly, there is already a lot of interest from top-tier programs, though where Messer may end up is still up in the air. Playing time is certainly not the issue, so we’d guess opportunities for more NIL or team chemistry is what has Messer on the hunt.

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Kendal Murphy - OH - Baylor: A 6’3” rising senior, Murphy would likely have seen a lot more playing time this past season if not for injuries. In her sophomore season (2024), she averaged 2.8 points per set and 2.1 digs per set in the Big 12. She’s originally from Arizona, so one has to wonder if there may be mutual interest with GCU or Arizona.

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Dimitra Nanou - OH - UTRVG: Coming off of a great freshman season in which she was named Southland Conference Freshman of the Year, Nanou from Greece is looking elsewhere. In her first collegiate season, she averaged 4.1 points per set and 2.8 digs per set as well as a very impressive .312 hitting percentage. Playing time is obviously not an issue for Nanou, so it’s possible she’s looking for a higher-level program (one with more NIL opportunities, perhaps?) or a better cultural fit. 

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Lucie Blažková - MB - Washington State: A 6’3” redshirt junior from Czech Republic, Blažková was an All-WCC First Team selection this past season and earned WCC Player of the Week three times. She led the WCC in hitting efficiency at .434 and, with 1.2 blocks per set, she was the second best blocker in the conference. She makes for a very enticing prospect for a P4 team looking to shore up its middle depth, and we’ve caught wind of interest from some big-time programs.

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Paige Thies - OH - Arizona: As a freshman at Arizona, Thies made one start and appeared in a total of 23 sets. She performed well in her limited time, but hasn’t been battle tested against top-tier competition. She could be looking for more consistent playing time, which could potentially be found at another Big 12 program, but is more likely to come from a non-P4 conference. She’s originally from Oregon, where she was twice the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year, so if homesickness has struck, Oregon State or one of the Portland programs may be of interest.

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Ledisi Kpea - MS/OPP - Missouri Kansas City: A 5’11” middle blocker/opposite originally from Dallas, Kpea is a rising redshirt junior. This past season, she played in 100 sets across 28 matches for the Roos, averaging 2.6 points per set, including an impressive 1 block per set. Since playing time doesn’t seem to be the issue, it’s possible that she may be looking for a program closer to home. 

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Mariam Mushkudiani - OPP - Miami-FL: This one is a bit of a headscratcher, as incoming transfer and fellow Miami opposite Jovana Zelenovic recently hurt her knee and is likely going to be out for the majority, if not all, of the 2026 campaign. That should mean guaranteed playing time for Mushkudiani, who’s originally from the country of Georgia, but she’s taking her three remaining years of eligibility to another program. She saw fairly limited action this past year, averaging 1.4 points per set across the court time she did see. 

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Kambree Rodriguez - L - FIU: Rodriguez is a 5’8” libero originally from Utah. She spent the past three seasons at FIU, one of which she redshirted, and played as a DS this last season. She may be looking for an opportunity to start at libero at another program or head closer to home.

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Rebecca Watkins - S - James Madison: Watkins has been one of the playmakers in a 6-2 offense during her three seasons at JMU, totaling 479 assists (4.9 per set) this past season. Given that she’s 6’0” and playing time hasn’t been an issue, she may be interested in playing her last year at a program where she can run a 5-1. Her blocking proved to be strong in her freshman year when she got front row opportunities, as she averaged .54 blocks per set.

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Lauren Buchanan - OH - Texas Tech: After redshirting her freshman season, Buchanan is looking elsewhere. She’s originally from Alabama, so it’s possible being away from home for her first year of school made her want to transfer somewhere closer. Of course, she may also be looking for guaranteed playing time.