Update, December 13: Penn State setter Gabby Blossom has also reportedly entered the transfer portal with one year of eligibility remaining.

Blossom, who was named a third-team All-American in 2019, racked up 1,319 assists for the Nittany Lions this season. She also contributed 355 digs as the team’s starting setter.

Original Story: A handful of Penn State women’s volleyball standouts are reportedly searching for new homes.

Nittany Lions Kaitlyn Hord, Annie Cate Fitzpatrick, Jenna Hampton, and Emily Oerther have reportedly joined the portal this fall, according to College Volleyball Transfers, which independently tracks and reports portal entries.

It goes without saying that Penn State would greatly hurt from any of these departures should they pull through. Seniors Hord and Hampton have respectively held down the Nittany Lions’ net and backcourt presences for the last two seasons, while Oerther and Fitzpatrick showed promise in limited playing time.

Hord, a three-time All-American, ranked second among the Nittany Lions with 345 kills this season, while her hitting percentage (.394) and total blocks (165) easily paced the team. Hampton, meanwhile, led the team with 530 digs and a team-best 4.45 digs per set as its libero.

Fitzpatrick saw most of her Penn State action as a true freshman during last spring’s season when she posted 156 kills, good for second-best on the team. Oerther, meanwhile, has appeared in 18 matches over three seasons, tallying 119 assists, five blocks, and four aces.

Both Hord and Hampton have one year of eligibility remaining and are set to graduate from Penn State this spring. Transferring away from Penn State for grad school (and perhaps another shot at an NCAA title) seems like the most likely motivation.

Fitzpatrick and Oerther should respectively have three and two remaining years of eligibility left. All NCAA student-athletes received an additional year of eligibility last year due to challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Penn State’s season came to a close a few weeks back when the Nittany Lions fell to No. 3 national seed Pitt in the NCAA Tournament’s second round. Former Penn State middle blocker Serena Gray, who transferred to Pitt over the summer, has helped lead the Panthers to their first-ever Final Four appearance.