College Volleyball Questions Answered!

I will be a senior in high school and I was wondering if it is possible to walk on at a college even though I quit club volleyball after my freshman year. I still play high school volleyball and would like to play in college next year. Thanks. S.C.

It is, but you will be starting from behind because you have missed out on 3 years of elite level training.  If you want to play in college, I suggest you join a club team your senior year because this will jump start your training and put you into the environment for college coaches to see you.

The reality is that walk-on positions are now coveted because total number of high school/club volleyball players keeps increasing but the number of college volleyball roster spots is not growing.  This results in very good players trying to find a place to play, scholarship or not.  I have seen this development first hand, as my program now enjoys 4 solid walk-on players, which we could not have garnered 5 years ago.

As for the walk-on option, I suggest you read through the collegevolleyballcoach site under the label Walk-On, as I have answered many questions regarding players considering the how to of becoming a walk on student athlete.

Coach,

It looks like my daughter 2012 may have to go back to sending out letters this fall. If she does, does she need to change the content of the introduction letter any to reflect her being a rising senior?

Thanks and good luck in your upcoming season!!

RLH


 Don't sweat jumping back into the recruiting storm - I have seen it work out better for PSA's many times!

More of an update to the letter to reflect current status on graduation/recruiting class, grades, test scores, volleyball accomplishments over the club season, etc.

Remember that for college volleyball coaches, this is a very slow time for recruiting because we are all focused intensely on our volleyball team and working through season start issues.  This results in recruiting taking a back seat and our recruiting communication slowing down. 
 
Update your contact list for schools and don't be afraid to widen your net to include a region or school size or classification you earlier did not consider.  When you send out your intro letters, make sure to include, via link or attachment, current video, even if it is just a minute or two.  Video is worth a thousand and a half words.

I remind you to be patient with the recruiting process right now.  After the Holidays, with the close of the college volleyball season, and the ramp'ing up of the club season, you will see a sharp increase in the recruiting activity of college volleyball coaches as they push to add graduating seniors to their rosters for the 2012 college volleyball season.


Hello, 

Our son will be starting his senior year in high school, has played club volleyball for a number of years.
After nationals, he received an invitation to attend a DI volleyball camp via an email from the assistant coach at the college.

The email basically was addressed to him and said at camp they train individual players at their chosen position and gives them the unique opportunity to get to know you as a player and as a person while coaching you on the court. It also gives you, the player, the opportunity to see our campus/facilities and get to know our staff & players.

Do you think they are just trying to fill their camp?   The email did not give any phone number for us to contact them. Is it OK for us to contact them and ask if they see our son fitting into their program? I thought if they were at all interested, they would have provided contact info, or is the camp where they evaluate potential players that they may be interested in having on their team, but cannot offer scholarship money to?

Thanks - N.K.
 

By my read, this is just a marketing effort by the DI coach to generate camp numbers.  If your son, as a senior, has only received a camp invite from this school, and no other university/program information, then I would be very suspect. 

 

From a business perspective, I am stunned the email did not include contact information for any questions regarding the camp.  From a recruiting perspective, it is downright silly to not include contact information....this is key in recruiting; communication!

 

No harm in looking up their contact information and getting a hold of them to ask some questions.  Because of the limited college roster spots in relation to club/high school men's volleyball, it can be a huge challenge to find a place to play as a men's volleyball psa.  Go ahead and call, but ask very specific questions and listen for specific answers.  If the coach or assistant coach is giving you a general answer and does not reference your son or their specific recruiting needs, then they are not focused on him as a PSA, just a camper.

 

That being said, if the camp is not too far away, and the cost is not too expensive, and your son likes the school, then give the camp some consideration.  Worst case, he will get some volleyball touches and have (potentially) a good experience being on a college campus

 

Again, sounds like camp marketing to me and not recruiting for their program..  If he goes to camp, the mindset is to attend to become a better volleyball player, even though the school has shaded it as a recruiting opportunity.