NCAA Division III College Volleyball Recruiting

Hi Coach,

I have a daughter who is a Junior in high school.  She has good grades and is a good person over-all.   She is 5’11”” and has played Middle since freshman year in high school.  She is considered to be a first team all sectional player.    She also plays on a mid-tier club here in upstate New York. 

 She’s is looking at colleges with the perspective of finding the right school academically and then seeing if there is a program she could play for.  We have contacted a couple of D-III schools that we have also visited during open houses.  One coach met with us and said she should easily make her team.  Another coach has acknowledged getting her recruit forms and said “he’d be in contact later”.  Another school hasn’t acknowledged or contacted her after receiving her questionnaire.    

How does the recruiting calendar and process go for D-III?  Should we wait till they contact her?  Should she send follow-up e-mails?   I know it’s early in the process but I’d like to be able to give her advice as to what her approach should be.   It seems like D-I is the big focus for many ‘advice’ providers without a lot of focus on the D-II and D-III programs.  

 Thank You. 

R.B.

NCAA Division III is the most diverse of the NCAA categories in terms of the 'professionalism' of the volleyball programs.  Some coaches are full time dedicated to volleyball, some are part time, some are dual coaches (coaching two sports), some are professors, some are temporary seasonal hires, etc.

This leads to a wide variety of responses from college coaches, when families are managing the NCAA DIII recruiting efforts.  To this end, you have the take the responses or lack of responses at face value and not read too much into non responses.

The 'calendar for DIII is the same as other college volleyball levels, in terms of when and where the coaches recruit.  DIII does not have a formal 'recruiting calendar' like NCAA Division I and has much more open recruiting parameters than DI and DII.

With any college volleyball recruiting effort, the families must be active and consistent in their outreach and management.  Waiting for a coach/program to contact you, is leaving your fate to someone else.  There is so much talent and depth in today's club/high school recruiting classes, that families must reach out and put themselves into the view of the college coaches.  Gone are the days where if a player has talent, they will be found - The player must work hard to be 'found' by the college programs!

Send out video, send out follow-up emails, invite them to come watch her play at tournament/combines/showcases, ask about coming for an unofficial visit (if it is financially feasible for the family and the school academically is attractive); all this should be done regardless of what level or category a player want to play at because there are a thousand other players who also want to play at that same level or category!

Coach