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Illinois volleyball lands big-time player out of the transfer portal

Hundreds of players have already entered the transfer portal, and the Illinois volleyball program has already started to bear the fruit of the numerous options.
ByKamden Wollard|
Tennessee's Paityn Chapman (4) pushes the ball during a NCAA volleyball game between Tennessee and UCLA at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center on Thursday, September 5, 2024.
Tennessee's Paityn Chapman (4) pushes the ball during a NCAA volleyball game between Tennessee and UCLA at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center on Thursday, September 5, 2024. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Illinois volleyball's disappointing end to the 2025 season left fans with a lot of questions and not a lot of answers.

One of the biggest questions is who is going to be on the court for the Illini in 2026? The team is losing four seniors but has yet to be hit by the transfer bug, meaning at this point, they will return the majority of their offensive production.

Coach Tamas and Co. have adapted well to the transfer portal era, using it effectively in recent years. Just this past offseason, they added two impactful transfers in Auburn Tomkinson and Kenna Phelan, who contributed significantly during the 2025 campaign.

Illinois wasted no time striking again this cycle, landing a talented transfer expected to make an immediate impact for the Orange and Blue. Paityn Chapman recently announced via Instagram that she will be bringing her talents to Champaign.

It has been an eventful college career so far for Chapman, who played fewer sets as a sophomore than in her freshman year at Tennessee but remained highly productive. She averaged over 2.3 kills per set in each of her first two seasons and brings considerable upside.

What will Paityn Chapman bring to the Illinois volleyball program

In my opinion, this is a huge addition for Illinois. An outside hitter in high school, where she excelled in all facets, collecting 1,402 kills and 628 digs in her prep career. Chapman transitioned to the opposite position at Tennessee and thrived in that role.

It will be interesting to see exactly where she fits in at Illinois. With Taylor de Boer and Alyssa Aguayo established on the outside, it seems more likely that Chapman will compete on the right side.

Tomkinson started strong this season, recording at least eight kills in 10 of her first 15 matches, but her production faded as the year went on, hitting that mark just five times in the final 14 games. My guess is that Coach Tamas is seeking more consistency at the opposite pin.

Chapman should have a real opportunity to thrive at Illinois and could add much-needed variety to the Illini's attack in 2026.

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