Camryn Ennis had moved on with her life, and the new realm was going to be one without her playing volleyball and with her focusing on a career as a veterinarian. At least, that was the plan.

Ennis had played four seasons in college — two each at Kansas and Texas A&M — and was going to decline a waiver from the NCAA that granted athletes an addition year because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

But something unexplainable happened this past spring. Ennis kept finding herself at the Texas A&M volleyball practice venue. At first, it was to visit former teammates. Then, she showed up to help during practices after injuries left the team shorthanded.

“I realized how much I loved it, and how much I missed volleyball, just because I’ve been doing it for so long,” Ennis said.

A Reagan High School graduate, Ennis changed course and decided to play one final season. There was an issue, though. It was April and schools across the country had pretty much finalized their rosters for the 2022 season. Nonetheless, Ennis entered her name into the transfer portal and held out hope that a team might have a spot available.

Ennis’ break came when she received a phone call one day from the coaching staff at the University of Pittsburgh, which four months earlier was one win away from playing for the 2021 national championship. The Panthers returned All-Americans Serena Gray and Chiamaka Nwokolo and all-region performer Rachel Fairbanks from that team and would be a preseason favorite to contend for the national title.

After conversations with the coaches and a visit to the campus, Ennis signed with the Panthers on May 27.

“I was super shocked when they reached out, just because I knew it was a great program,” Ennis said. “For me, being a super-competitive athlete, that was immediately what I was drawn to. It kind of motivated me before I even got to Pitt to work out the hardest I’ve done in the gym and weight room because I wanted to live up to this team.”

“My journey has definitely been a very unique one, a very crazy one, but I loved every second of it,” Ennis said. “I think all the lessons I’ve learned at each of the three schools has had a huge impact on me and kind of shaped me into who I am today. When I first got to Pittsburgh, I was terrified of being a weak link, or just thinking I don’t belong here.”

A 6-foot outside hitter/setter, Ennis was far from being a fragile component and actually had a positive impact during the Panthers’ postseason run. She had a season-high nine kills and six digs as her team outlasted defending national champion Wisconsin 23-25, 25-21, 25-21, 19-25, 15-13 in a regional final; seven kills, four digs and an ace in Pitt’s five-set loss to Atlantic Coast Conference rival Louisville in the national semifinals; and the match-clinching kill in a first-round triumph vs. Colgate. Pitt was No. 4 in the final American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) national rankings.

Ennis’ tale is a prime example of what the intended goal of the transfer portal was when it was created in 2018. But now the database application has evolved into a hot-button issue in college athletics. Detractors say it’s an out-of-control form of free agency, where the top teams simply reload their rosters with top-flight talent. Supporters say it’s a vehicle for athletes looking to get out of a bad situation. More than 750 volleyball athletes reportedly entered the transfer portal at some point during the 2021 season. Division I programs can give out a maximum 12 full-ride scholarships.

Texas, which a week ago defeated Louisville to win the national championship, was buoyed by the addition of six transfers out of the portal — libero Zoe Fleck (UCLA), outside hitter Madisen Skinner (Kentucky), setter Jenna Ewert (Colorado), middle blocker Bella Bergmark (Cal-Berkeley) and defensive specialist Keonilei Akana and middle blocker Kayla Caffey (both from Nebraska) — helping it offset losing six players of its own to the portal, including four who either started or were key reserves.

Announcements of players entering the portal have been steady since the season ended. The NCAA has worked to provide clarity to the situation, designating Dec. 19-Feb. 9 and May 1-15 as windows for athletes to enter the portal.

“I think the portal is a beautiful thing, but there are some things that kind of got to be tweaked about it,” former University of Incarnate Word volleyball coach Samantha Dabbs Thomas said. “With COVID, I think after this year, you’re going to see that wave of rush of transfers ease down a little bit. There are so many different scenarios that the transfer portal comes in handy.”

Ennis was one of those situations. But she is far from the only area athlete to benefit from using the transfer portal.

Former New Braunfels standout Hannah Jacobs transferred to LSU after earning a degree and playing four seasons at SMU, where she found individual success, but not necessary the desired team success. Jacobs could have stayed for an extra season at SMU, but a coaching change led her to look elsewhere. The local cuisine — especially, the oysters — and building a quick rapport with LSU’s returning players led Jacobs to Baton Rouge.

“They definitely did give me lots of good food on my visit,” Jacobs said. “I feel like the moment that I kind of was like, ‘OK, this is kind of my spot,’ is just when I was leaving. It was sad saying bye to everybody. I was like, ‘I want to see all these people again.’

“It definitely was very nerve-racking to go into the transfer portal. That experience was crazy, but it was also so different from my first time in the recruiting process because I felt like I was so much more mature. I definitely looked at recruiting through a different lens. I just wanted to try something new and really just pursue the chance to play at a bigger school and chasing my goal of playing in the NCAA tournament.”

A 6-2 outside hitter, Jacobs helped LSU advance to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017, earning an at-large bid. The Tigers, in their first season under Tonya Johnson, who previously was an assistant at Texas, made the most of the postseason venture, knocking off longtime power Hawai’i for their first tournament win since 2014. They lost to powerhouse Stanford in the second round.

“It was definitely a lot of emotions because I was going back and forth in my mind,” Jacobs said of watching the NCAA selection show on Nov. 27. “I was like, ‘Well, am I done? Am I not done? Did you just play your last collegiate game ever? Or do you have a shot to make a run in the NCAA tournament? Seeing LSU pop up on the scene, it was just really full of joy and excitement, and it was a feeling I honestly will never forget.”

The transfer portal, with its uncertainty, can lead to anxiety. For Churchill graduate Caroline Meuth, University of Incarnate Word setter Taylor Stoops and UTSA’s Cansu Gunaydin and Cheyenne Hlady, the experience went rather smoothly.

Meuth graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame in only three years. Wanting to move closer to home to play and work on a master’s degree, Texas A&M was the perfect fit. Her parents and older sister attended the school.

“I had many different coaches reach out to me, but I was really just interested in Texas A&M,” said Meuth, who had 786 kills, 507 digs and 114 1/2 blocks during her time at Notre Dame. “I didn’t see a need to keep looking at other options. I pretty much knew TAMU is where I belonged. Very few people get the chance to live out two of their dreams, let alone one. I consider myself very lucky that I got to attend a university like Notre Dame, but then also get to go to Texas A&M, where my family is from, and where I grew up supporting.”

An outside hitter, Meuth was a bright spot during a season in which Texas A&M finished 13-16 (5-13 in SEC play) and fired head coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn after five seasons at the helm. Meuth had 440 kills, a .262 hitting percentage, 36 aces and 33 1/2 blocks and was named MVP at both the TCU’s Fight in the Fort tournament and the Western Kentucky University Invitational.

Stoops, like Meuth, also had one season of eligibility remaining when she earned a bachelor’s degree at Texas-Tyler and looked to work on attaining a master’s degree. But her path went against the grain. Most athletes entering the transfer portal move from one NCAA Division I program to another. Stoops went from Division II to Division I.

“Honestly, it was really, really stressful because I still wanted to play really, really bad — and I knew I could somewhere — but I guess it was just having faith that someone would want me,” said Stoops, who previously was in the portal when she transferred from Arkansas-Fort Smith following her freshman season in 2018. “I kind of knew what the deal was with the portal, but I definitely think it was easier having already played before and kind of know what I was looking for.”

In that regard, Stoops and Incarnate Word were on the same wavelength. The Cardinals were looking to land a setter who could provide immediate leadership and experience at a position that was hit hard by the graduation of Natalie Martin and Pilar Gonzaba. Stoops was looking for a team where she could make a profound impact in her final season.

Stoops had 837 assists, 208 digs and 35 aces for Incarnate Word (6-23), which reached the Southland Conference tournament for the third straight year. The team lost in the opening round to Northwestern State (La.) in five sets.

“That was exciting to me that they were looking for someone like me,” Stoops said.

Gunaydin awoke one morning, dressed up in as many layers of clothing as possible, and headed for a bus stop. A volleyball player at Rutgers University in 2021, the scene played itself out almost daily. This occasion, though, was different. As Gunaydin walked to catch the bus for a morning practice in Piscataway, N.J., she noticed that many of the cars on the street were blanketed in snow.

“Generally, it was winter all the time,” Gunaydin said. “It was raining outside; really dark. It was a shock for me. I was like, ‘Where am I?’ It was kind of like a depression for me.”

Nearly 400 miles to the west in Youngstown, Ohio, Hlady was also dealing with a similar tale of struggling with the constant cold weather.

On the surface, Gunaydin and Hlady didn’t appear to have a lot in common. Gunaydin is from Turkey, and Hlady is from Ontario. Hlady is a 6-2 middle blocker, and Gunaydin is a 6-foot outside hitter.
What brought the two athletes together was a quest to either play at a larger school or in a bigger role — and to do so in a warm climate.

UTSA provided that opportunity. The duo formed a bond from the first time they spoke via FaceTime, a video-telephony application that allows users to talk over the internet. Hlady and Gunaydin became roommates, helping each other adjust to a new city, state, university and teammates.

“From the very first call, we knew we were going to be really close,” Gunaydin said. “We just clicked.”

Both are now in San Antonio, trying to be key components to a UTSA program trying turn around its recent fortunes. The Roadrunners were 8-18 in their first season under coach Carol Price-Torok, who was hired in December 2021 to replace longtime coach Laura Neugebauer-Groff. Gunaydin had 270 kills, 186 digs and 19 aces. Hlady had 34 kills and 17 1/2 blocks but missed 12 matches after breaking a finger on her right hand during UTSA’s match vs. Alabama on Aug. 26.

“We’re both passionate about volleyball,” Gunaydin said.

A year ago, Hlady didn’t know where that passion would lead. She was on her own, examining the pros and cons, before deciding to leave Youngstown State. She put her name into the transfer portal, knowing if the right situation didn’t come to fruition she might have to return to Canada.

“You have to really be (on top of) your email and replying,” Hlady said of the transfer portal. “If you don’t reply, they’ll go to someone else. The hardest part about being in the portal is (that) my whole life I’ve been a part of something. I’ve been a part of a team, practices; always doing something. It was hard to just work out alone.”

Changing places
A list of some other notable volleyball athletes with ties to the Alamo City who found new homes after entering the transfer portal:

Shelby O’Neal, Clemens: The 6-1 outside hitter transferred from Arizona to Houston Christian University and made a strong mark. She had 250 kills, 158 digs, 24 1/2 blocks and 21 aces and helped the Huskies capture their first Southland Conference regular-season title by posting a team-high 10 kills and 13 digs in a win vs. New Orleans. O’Neal was named all-tournament after helping Houston Christian reach the final of the SLC tournament.

Kaylyn Winkler, Johnson: The 6-3 middle blocker moved to Notre Dame from SMU and was a bright spot during a campaign in which the Irish went 10-18. Winkler had 189 kills, a .245 hitting percentage, 53 blocks and was second on the team with 242 points. She was MVP of Old Dominion University’s Quest for the Crown event, racking up 36 kills, a .350 hitting clip and eight blocks in three matches.

Emmy Ogogor, O’Connor: The 6-1 middle blocker/outside hitter made an immediate spark in her first season at Wake Forest after moving over from West Virginia. She started all 31 matches, racking up 215 kills, a .311 hitting percentage, and 64 1/2 blocks.

Mia Perales, Antonian: The 5-6 setter started 31 of 34 matches and registered 772 assists, 278 digs and 23 aces after transferring from UTSA to McNeese State. The Cowgirls (18-16) reached the semifinals of the Southland Conference tournament in head coach Sasha Karelov’s first season. McNeese State finished in second place in conference play during the regular season, the best showing in program history since 2006.

Skyeler Embry, East Central: A 6-foot outside hitter, she had 137 kills, 148 digs and 7 1/2 blocks in limited action after transferring to McNeese State from UTSA. Played in only 13 of her team’s 34 matches and helped the Cowgirls advance to semifinals of Southland Conference tournament.

terrence@terrencesports.com
Twitter: @sa_terrence1