September 1st - College Volleyball Recruiting big date.

Hello – I think I saw the answer to my on your site, but just double checking...

My daughter just started her junior year in Tuscon, AZ.

According to your site, and since it is Sept 1, it looks like we are eligible for contact to and from NCAA coaches.  Is this the case, or is this your specific rule?

I’m trying to manage expectations for my daughter, and curious if/when we could/should be receiving any info from interested coaches or not, or whether or not it’s mostly on the parents and athletes to reach out and market the athlete.

Any advice?

Thanks! L.H.


September 1st of a PSA's Junior Year in high school allows for unlimited contact via email  and/or regular mail per NCAA rules.  Remember that a PSA can call a college coach at any time and talk as long as they want, but not until July 1 of a player's Junior to Senior summer can a coach call or return a call to a PSA.

Before Sept. 1st of a player's Junior year, NCAA schools can send one introductory letter and questionnaire to players which have contacted them or players which College Volleyball Coaches have seen at tournaments.  In theory, your daughter could have received a single correspondence from interested programs before 9/1, and now that 9/1 is here and soon gone, means that letters and emails can be coming continuously.

Back in the days before the Internet, which really were not too long ago, September 1st was a huge date in recruiting.  I remember as an assistant and then new head coach, having boxes of letters all stacked up and ready to be mailed on that magical recruiting date, and then weekly boxes of letters lined up in the que - I wonder how much the Internet has cost the US Postal Service in recruiting letter profits alone? 

With the rapid development of email, instant messaging, texts, Internet linked text and media files, hard copy information being sent out via post is now quite dated.  The NCAA has also mandated that all program media guides must now only be available on the school's website.  The result of all this technology, is that much information which was previously held until 9/1 can now be obtained via the Internet at anytime.

Still, for those College coaches who follow the NCAA rules (don't get me started on the cheaters), September 1st is the day we look forward to because it allows us to develop some depth of understanding of our PSA's.

I applaud you for your efforts to "manage expectations" as there can be a overload of information when it comes to being a PSA today in Women's Volleyball.  Between some players committing when they still are learning their ABC's and other outstanding players waiting until June of their Senior year to find what they have been looking for, it can be a confusing time for families.

Unless your daughter's email in box and your mail box is filled with letters, then I strongly suggest your daughter keep reaching out to possible programs.  Bottom line is there are more talented Volleyball players than there are available Volleyball scholarships/roster spots. 

Please take a moment to read through the Recruiting Plan labels on line, or if you prefer the old school route, then a copy of Inside College Volleyball could help. I have tried to provide a general outline or plan to follow based upon my experiences and current trends in College Volleyball recruiting, which is broken down by a PSA's year in high school.

A college roster spot and hopefully a scholarship, will be the result of the efforts of VolleyFamilies.  There are a fortunate few VolleyFamilies which can sit back and get the red carpet treatment, but the masses of PSA's must reach out and interact with college coaches.

Good luck!