USA Volleyball High Performance Team question….

Hi,
 
My daughter attended a USAV High Performance try-out at one of the recent National Qualifying Tournaments.  She tried out as an O/S hitter (even though she is only 5'8") and received back notification that she was an alternate for the Women's Jr. National A1 Training Team.  Last night we received official invitation that a spot had opened up for her, making  her one of 33 girls (born in 96-97)  attending  this camp and championship tournament.   How likely is it that a player with this type of talent/recognition winds up with a college scholarship?   She has terrific overall skills and is great defensively, but we have always assumed her too short to be a player that could wind up with a scholarship.  What are your thoughts?  Are there any statistics that show USAV HP Pipeline players scholarships?  
 
Thank you for any insight you might have.  My daughter is honored (and slightly astonished!) to have been offered this camp.  With an 11/97 birthday, she was competing with some girls almost two full years older than her.   
 
Thank you for any help you can give this proud Mom of a short girl with "mad hops".
 
Warmly,

E.M.


Congratulations on your daughter's selection to the USA Volleyball's A1 Training Team.  

It is important to distinguish the national development teams from college volleyball and recruiting.  The various USA Volleyball programs are specific to determining the 12 athletes which will ultimately represent the USA in the world competitions, with the Olympic being the most recognized.

College volleyball recruiting is a different environment - Of course, a majority of the A1 training team will receive a college volleyball scholarship but this is not the result of being named to the team.  The A1 athletes have an elite level of ability and the training team will empower them to develop their skill sets to an even high level during the course of the program.

A college scholarship is not determined or directly influenced by the A1 team.  A number of athletes may very well have committed to their future college even before being named to this team.  Those that are still evaluating their options will likely have any number of colleges/universities evaluating them before their selection.

I strongly caution you against making the leap from A1 to automatic scholarship simply because an athlete's ability to receive a scholarship is determined by talent and outreach.  If a player has college volleyball potential and they market/promote themselves to the appropriate level, then they will have the opportunity to play and receive some level of scholarship.  The key to a successful recruiting effort is matching the outreach efforts to the appropriate colleges/universities based upon the particulars of the athlete.

Use the A1 training experience to supplement your outreach effort.  That is great your daughter was selected but the reality is there are 1000's of players just as good who did not try out and/or passed on the invite.  Remember that college volleyball recruiting is a completive situation because the number of quality players vastly exceeds the number of roster and scholarship openings.

Separate USA Volleyball from college volleyball and recruiting; these are two different animals.

Coach