Finding Their Fit

SwingRX Golf Performance is proud to bring you this week's Front Row Feature.
For more information, visit https://SwingRXGolf.com.

- - -

OXFORD, Ohio— "Everyone in this gym can play."

It's August 8, the first day of fall practice for the 2024 Miami Volleyball season, and head coach Dan Gwitt likes what he sees.

There are plenty of talented returners gathered in front of him —12 in all— but they are joined by quite a few new faces, both freshmen and incoming transfers.

As the group begins to work through drills and scrimmage situations, it doesn't take long for even a casual observer to notice the glimpses of potential. From the hard hitting to the standout servers, the RedHawks are beginning to lay the foundation for a season in which Gwitt has said repeatedly that he 'expects to win.'

Two of the newcomers that will be counted on to make an immediate impact for Gwitt's first Miami team are Power Five transfers: Ava Francis and Anna McClure. Both players join the RedHawks with multiple years of eligibility remaining (two for Francis and three for McClure) and have bought in right away to Gwitt's vision for the program.

"Dan was my first call on May 1st in the transfer portal," said McClure, a defensive specialist/libero who spent the past two years at Ohio State. "I wouldn't have had it any other way.

"I think he has a dedication to excellence that is unmatched. He's coached some of the best programs in the country: He's coached Big Ten volleyball, I played Big Ten volleyball, and we really connected on that level.

"We both had ideas of what we could bring to this team from playing at that caliber for so long…and then seeing the girls in the gym, their commitment to excellence and their buy-in to Dan's philosophy [on my visit] really solidified it for me."

Francis, an outside hitter who began her college career at Arizona and played for Virginia Tech the past two years, agreed.

"I really like Coach Dan. The things he was saying, I thought I could count on him for…I was really excited Miami reached out to me in the portal," Francis said.

"Honestly, I just wanted to find my love for the game again."

"I just told her the truth. About everything," Gwitt recalled of his first conversation with Francis. "I told her where we're at, where I wanted to be and where I think she would fit in…

"This school, not only from a scholastic and university standpoint, but as far as her goals in life and being back closer to home, we can give her everything she wants."

The Plain City, Ohio native appeared in 50 matches for the Hokies over the past two seasons, leading Virginia Tech in kills per set during the 2023 campaign, and Gwitt can't wait for Miami fans to see her play at Millett Hall next month in person.

"Ava is uniquely talented as a point-scorer," said Gwitt. "She's already had seasons where she's put up big numbers and been able to compete and score against the best teams in the country. She's going to be able to step on the court and translate that here. And we need that. You need someone who can put the ball away consistently every single set…

"The goal for her is that she can compete to be a six-rotation player."

If Francis does end up also seeing time in the back row, she would likely line up alongside McClure, who strung together a handful of textbook serves, including multiple aces, in practice on this particular morning in August.

A blur of motion defensively, McClure is known for her high-energy play. "I've been compared to a great white shark: 'You just close your eyes and go crazy,'" she laughed. "I'll throw my body anywhere to get a ball up."

The Academic All-Big Ten selection from Champaign, Ill. appeared in 43 sets for the Buckeyes last fall after redshirting in 2022. Like Francis, the sport runs in her blood: Both incoming transfers are daughters of former Big Ten volleyball student-athletes (Francis' mother at Ohio State, McClure's at Illinois).

"I think Anna is a fantastic player," Gwitt said. "Whatever the reason she chose to leave Ohio State, I never even asked her. It doesn't matter to me. What I asked her is, 'What do you want out of this experience? Here's where we're at, here's the vision for you: Is this something you want to be a part of?'

"As far as a volleyball player, she's darn good. And she does some things from the end line [serving] that I think are really, really exciting and can change matches…

"She has the right mindset, she's mature, she's a hard worker, she wants to be great, and she wants to be in a good environment where she's cared for and treated the right way – just like all these kids do.

"They all want to be treated well and told the truth…I'm overly upfront: 'Here's how good I think you are. Here's what I think you can do.'

"You've got to come in and compete for your spot. But the world's your oyster.'"

McClure said she treasures every opportunity she has to take the floor and compete after enduring four different surgeries since suffering a broken leg in 2021 that initially didn't heal properly.

"When you're away from the game for so long, it just makes you so hungry to get back," McClure explained. "For a lot of people, they could have become defeated. But for me, it just fueled me.

"Now, it just gives me such a sense of gratitude any time I step on the court. Not a lot of people have to miss almost two years of volleyball, and not a lot of people know what that feels like.

"I'm bringing that mindset here, just going on the court and giving everything that I possibly can to this team. That's what's going to be my mission this year, and in the years moving forward."

McClure hopes to major in economics with a minor in fashion at Miami, building on interests she's developed through her NIL partnerships with various Fortune 500 companies. "Talking to CEOs and getting that real-world experience really gave me a lot of confidence to know what I want to do in the future…learning how to build a brand, learning how to present yourself well on social media and get creative: It's something I've become really passionate about," she said.

Francis, who was named Academic All-ACC each of the past two years in Blacksburg, expects to major in sociology with a minor in psychology. After starting as a criminology major at Virginia Tech, she is currently working toward potentially becoming a therapist or mental health counselor.

Both student-athletes are excited about what the future holds at their new institution, in the classroom and also on the court. Gwitt calls it the 'beauty of the transfer portal', even though that's a phrase some other coaches might shy away from. "If there's something that's going to make you incrementally more happy, someone can provide that, and you can do what you love and get a scholarship to go do it, then you absolutely should go pursue that," said Gwitt.

Or, in Francis' words, "Really try to find a program where you know you're going to be happy."

"The main thing [Gwitt] kept telling me was that he's not going to guarantee playing time or that we win, but he said, 'I promise I will treat you well,'" Francis recounted. "His main thing is that once people graduate from Miami Volleyball, they will be well off. They'll look back and not regret their decision, and they will have a good experience."

And while it's very early —with the 2024 regular-season opener still over a week away— so far, it's been exactly that.

"I'm incredibly grateful," McClure said. "Obviously, I'm extremely happy with where I'm at, to be with this team, and if it weren't for the transfer portal, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't find my fit.

"And I feel like this school fits me so well."

Find more Front Row Features at: MiamiRedHawks.com/FrontRowFeatures

After an August 24 exhibition at Morehead State, Miami Volleyball gets the regular season underway at the Norfolk State Invitational (Aug. 30-31). The RedHawks' home opener is set for Thursday, Sept. 26 as Central Michigan visits Oxford to get MAC play started. Season tickets and single-match tickets are available now!

Related News

Players Mentioned

Ava Francis

Anna McClure

Related Videos