Recruiting Experience Feedback

Hey Coach, I wanted to also offer a HUGE THANKS again for all the guidance this site has offered our volleyfamily! I had written to you two previous times and your advice was perfect. This site navigated our family through the "jungle" of recruiting. A's NLI is signed and delivered and she could not be happier.

A little different from the previous poster, A did not play club  or get recruited until the club season of her sophomore year. As a family we were unaware of the rules, regulations and the steps needed to find the right fit for college. The club she played for was newer and a regional club so the recruiting guidance was limited. AND LUCKY ME...I stumbled upon this site! We live in a rural area and many athletes are unfamiliar with the club scene. So, as I sat in gyms during tournaments this past high school season, I took the liberty to give out the website address, explain the format and pulled out your book. (A laughs now..."my mom thinks she is an expert on volleyball recruiting") I certainly do not think this, however your website made us smarter!

Things we have learned...

1) Put any video on YouTube...A is in the school technology class and made one of her own. We paid a small fee and had the skills video done by a local coach. (The coach was familiar with what college coaches needed to see.) It was so easy to email the recruiting coach with links to the club website and video.

2) We sat down and made a list of potential colleges of all divisions that A was interested in, some we had been on the campuses and some not. A knew she wanted to be within a 4 to 6 hour driving distance from our home and knew a general area of study and wanted  to be in a city...we live in a small town. She received numerous responses and had coaches watching her at tournaments and had an offer but the fit was not there yet.

3) Always be open to a new possibility...of the colleges on her original list, the one she signed with was not on it.  A friend of a friend suggested she email her information to the coach at a school with very high academic standards and a strong D1 volleyball program. A is very smart but she had always thought this school was beyond her reach. Again with email you have nothing to lose. Within a couple of days they set up times to watch her play at a club tournament and she had an unofficial visit two weeks later. A verbally committed in February and signed the NLI in November.

4) Relax and enjoy the ride! That was the most calming advice....now for that six pack!


A is playing for a national club this coming season. It is two hours one way to the practice facility but we feel this will better prepare her for college volleyball. It should be a fun experience for us to watch her at that level.

T.B.