Every year between December and May, a number of collegiate volleyball players make the decision to leave the program they originally joined as freshmen and transfer somewhere new. They might be seeking increased playing time, a different coaching philosophy or a change of location, but no matter the reason, their decisions have the potential to make a big impact come fall. 

Here are our picks of the five most intriguing transfers in advance of the 2016 season:

Maya McClendon: Louisville to Arizona State

The 5-10 outside hitter and 2013 American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year at Louisville will now be a Sun Devil. Maya McClendon led the Cardinals in kills her freshman and sophomore years, but as a junior in 2015, she only started in six matches and ranked fifth on the team with 182 kills. Some have wondered if the transfer was partially motivated by Arizona State having a beach team, but when contacted, the ASU athletic department was not able to provide any information about the 2017 beach volleyball roster.

Maddie Haggerty: UCF to Michigan St

Maddie Haggerty began her collegiate career at Nebraska, but was forced to redshirt her true freshman season (2014) due to a shoulder injury. The 6-2 outside hitter then decided to transfer to the University of Central Florida where she ranked third on the team as a redshirt freshman with 242 kills. For her sophomore season, Haggerty returns to the Big Ten to play for Michigan State. Haggerty comes from a volleyball family, with older sister Meghan a member of the 2015 Nebraska national championship squad and younger sister Molly headed to Wisconsin in the fall. It will be interesting to see if she will settle in at Michigan State and finally have a chance to perform to her full potential.

Alexa Smith: Purdue to Colorado

Smith was one of the top high school recruits in the nation, earning the 2015 High School Player of the Year honor from the National High School Coaches Association and being named the Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year in 2014. She played for Purdue in 2015, starting in 10 matches and seeing the court in 33. The 6-1 outside hitter, who collected 10 double-doubles and averaged 2.05 digs per set last year, chose to transfer to the University of Colorado, closer to her Colorado Springs home, where she will play for first-year head coach Jesse Mahoney.

Ashley Harris: Arizona to Pepperdine

Harris, a 6-8 outside hitter who played for Arizona in 2013 and 2014, will resume her collegiate volleyball career at Pepperdine this fall. The Petaluma native did not return to Arizona for the 2015-2016 academic year after putting away a team-high 22 solo blocks and a total of 218 kills as a sophomore in 2014.

Clare Powers: Saint Marys to Penn State

A 6-3 outside hitter, Powers earned a spot on the WCC All-Freshman team in 2014, ranking third on her team with 1.93 kills per set. As a sophomore, Powers played in only 26 of the Gaels 99 sets, totaling 15 kills. The Archbishop Mitty High School grad also played sand at SMU as a freshman, competing in the No. 2 spot. Although Penn State has not yet put out a press release announcing Powers’ transfer, the athletic department did confirm her addition to the team.