Reflect and assess your expectations are in line with your skill and talent
- Less than 6% of high school and club athletes will compete in college.
- Each sport has a different percentage. But Volleyball is in the 1% range for players who will compete collegiately.
- Less than 1% will get athletic scholarships.
Determine your future potential and willingness to put in the work and effort to progress in the time left for recruitment
Look at the master list of higher education programs across the United States who offer volleyball as a sport.
- Some universities may offer instead a Club team, or offer a Club team in addition to the collegiate team.
- https://www.ncsasports.org/womens-volleyball/colleges
- There are about 1,802 women’s varsity volleyball programs across the U.S.
334 Division 1 volleyball college
298 Division 2 volleyball colleges
437 Division 3 volleyball colleges
220 NAIA volleyball colleges
67 four-year colleges outside of the above
REMINDER: STUDENT – ATHLETE
- Make sure your grades are good
- Make sure your curriculum is challenging (on track or advanced in grade)
Be WELL ROUNDED
- Have additional extracurriculars, hobbies and interests
- Have variety of service, leadership, excellence, faith, jobs
- Show commitment – keep memberships active over extended periods (years)
Clear and unambiguous communication and networking
- Email address which clearly identifies you by full name
- Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter X, other which clearly identifies you by name
- You Tube channel: which clearly identifies you by full name
Social Media
- Remain Active – post daily or every few days
- Post intentionally – post about your clubs, activities, awards, teams, etc
- Show variety and diversity – if you would use it to describe you or as part of your resume it should be easily evidenced in your online footprint
- Stay positive – avoid politics and controversial subject matter
- Show WHO you are!
Athletic Resume
- Just like a professional resume show your details / contact info
- Show your school history, club history
- Note those contacts who can be reached out to verify your membership, role, character
- Coaches names, email, phone
- Test Scores
- Bio Stats (height, weight, standing reach, blocking reach, approach reach, vertical, wingspan)
- Positions
- Statistics
- Awards
Reflect and assess your expectations are in line with your skill and talent
- Less than 6% of high school and club athletes will compete in college.
- Each sport has a different percentage. But Volleyball is in the 1% range for players who will compete collegiately.
- Less than 1% will get athletic scholarships.
Narrow College Prospects
- Identify your interested field of study and major
- Cross reference colleges with your degree AND volleyball
- Start to reduce the list of schools (personal preference)
- by geography (warm vs.beach vs. mountains, city vs. rural)
- by campus life (# enrolled students, other activities, size of campus, transportation)
- by near by resources / attractions
- LAST by ability to compete at the level / division for that school
- BROKEN LEG TEST – if for some reason you could NOT compete – did not make the team, got injured, etc would you remain at this school and complete your degree?
- Could you get ACCEPTED by this school? Are you on track to complete the pre-requisites and meet the minimum GPA and test scores to even be considered by this school?
Scholarships LAST!
- Most schools do not have money to offer athletic scholarships.
- Most schools have very limited budgets for scholarships. This is getting even smaller due to new regulations and changes in practices like NIL.
- Schools are being challenged to reduce roster sizes.
- Would you attend this school even if there was no money offered?
- Would you attend this school and play on the team even if no money offered?
- Could you afford this school even if no money was offered?
College SHORT LIST
- Go online and complete the recruitment questionnaire form. Submit it even if you do not have all the information at this time. Get into their prospective database.
- Like and Follow the school / teams social media pages.
- Consider visiting the campus and touring yourself or arranging for a tour.
- Attending volleyball camp offered by this school or attended by this college’s scout / coach.
- Check email for “invitations” from these schools.