Volleyball Adds Minnesota Transfer Brittany McLean for 2018 Season

April 9, 2018

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina volleyball team added an important piece to its roster on Monday, with Minnesota transfer Brittany McLean signing with the team for the 2018 season. McLean, a native of Rosemount, Minn., is eligible immediately and will have two seasons to compete for the Gamecocks.

“We are thrilled to have Britt joining our team beginning this summer,” head coach Tom Mendoza said. “I remember watching her play for her club team and being impressed by her ability to positively impact her team whether in serve receive, defense, or taking big swings on the outside. We’re excited to see her do those things in a South Carolina uniform. She fits in very well with the culture and character that we are building our program around.”

McLean, a six-foot-one left-side attacker, played in eight matches this season for the Golden Gophers, including all three of the team’s NCAA tournament matches. Her season highlight came in the team’s first-round match versus North Dakota, when she led the offense with 13 kills. In the summer leading up to her sophomore campaign, she was one of 35 student-athletes to take part in USA Volleyball’s Collegiate National Team program in Minneapolis.

Coming out of high school, McLean was the 44th-ranked recruit in the country and was an Under Armour First Team All-American. She left Rosemount High School as its career kills and aces leader, and was honored as the 2015 Ms. Baden recipient, given to the top senior volleyball player in the state by the Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association. While playing for her club team Northern Lights, she was an AAU All-American in 2013 and 2014.

“Her strengths on the court and style of play will be a great fit for us as well,” Mendoza added. “Britt’s high-level experience both at the club level and at Minnesota will help her hit the ground running.”

McLean joins a strong nucleus of Gamecocks returning for 2018. The team will bring back 90 percent of its total kills from 2017, highlighted by rising junior Mikayla Shields and rising sophomore Mikayla Robinson. The two combined for almost half of the team’s offense, with Shields earning honorable mention All-American honors and Robinson making the All-SEC Freshman Team.