Penn State women’s volleyball’s 2023 recruiting class took a major hit this week when it lost the services of top-10 prospect Chloe Chicoine.

Chicoine, ranked as the No. 4 overall Class of 2023 prospect among PrepVolleyball.com’s Top 150, has now committed to play for Purdue. She verbally committed to Penn State last summer but reopened her commitment once head coach Russ Rose retired in December.

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Primarily labeled as an outside hitter, Chicoine draws strength from her versatility at the net and in the backcourt, too. Last fall, she led McCutcheon High School to its first state title by recording 440 kills, 196 digs, and 20 aces across a .429 hitting clip.

Back in September, Chicoine helped Team USA’s U18 team win a bronze medal in the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball World Championships in Durango, Mexico. The Lafayette, Ind., native also became Indiana’s 2021-22 Gatorade Player of the Year.

Once she graduates from high school and officially commits to Purdue, Chicoine will join a handful of former teammates among the Boilermakers. Former McCutcheon defensive specialist Emily Brown transferred into the program following two seasons with Missouri, while McCutcheon alum Grace Balensiefer, a former Northern Illinois setter, is joining Purdue as a graduate transfer.

The Boilermakers went 26-7 last fall and ended their season with an NCAA Tournament Elite Eight loss to Pitt. Purdue beat Penn State 3-2 in a five-set thriller back in October.

Chicoine’s departure from a verbal commitment to the Nittany Lions certainly doesn’t help the program, which is already struggling with depth. A number of Nittany Lions found new homes through the transfer portal this offseason — Kaitlyn Hord to Nebraska, Annie Cate Fitzpatrick to Florida, Jenna Hampton to South Carolina, Gabby Blossom to San Diego, and Emily Oerther to Mississippi State.

So far this offseason, Penn State picked up a commitment from former Long Beach State outside hitter Kashauna Williams, who’ll transfer with two years of eligibility remaining. Last fall, she racked up a team-leading 452 kills en route to first-team All-Big West honors.