Creating your College Volleyball Target List is a huge key to getting started in the recruiting process! I’ve been there with my daughters and I know it’s not easy on so many levels! If you, the parent AND/OR you, the player, begin in an organized and systematic way, you’re on your way to playing volleyball at the next level.
I believe the heart and soul of your recruiting process is your target list. It is an ever-evolving list based on the information AND gut feelings you get throughout the process. Eventually, a school on this list will be the one where you play college volleyball! But before that happens, this list will be a great way to help you evaluate your options. It’s very personal and specific to you as a volleyball player. And even though it’s in spreadsheet form and seems very systematic, it represents your dreams and aspirations, disappointments, and all the hard work you’ve done throughout the recruiting process.
Seek out schools that fill your needs
As a volleyball player, you have to be proactive in your search for the school, program and coaching staff that will be right for you. They aren’t going to come knocking on your door.
The schools that do reach out to you will be possibilities on your list, but you also should have an idea of the schools where you want to go and reach out to them. If you rely ONLY on schools that contact you, you could be settling for one that’s not the right fit.
The recruiting process is both systematic and from the heart. These are obviously very different things, but when you have the perfect combo of the 2, you can’t go wrong.
How to prepare your list
Your College Volleyball Target List should be a Google Sheet that you create as a shared document with your parents. I recommend putting 20 schools on this list because that’s a manageable number. When one school falls off, add another school. That’s why it’s a working list – it’s working and evolving for you.
Organizing your list
The first TAB is your “Top List” of 20 schools. The second TAB is your “Secondary List.” These are schools that have dropped off your Top List. You want to keep the data on these schools and all communication that transpired in case they reach back out to you if things change. Then you move them back to your Top List.
Key columns for your list are:
- school name
- conference
- city
- state
- coach names
- coach’s email
- coach’s phone
You should also have a column called “notes and activity” to document the schools that you’ve contacted via email or phone and their responses.
If a school doesn’t need your position in your grad year, it should move immediately to the “Secondary List.” If a school has already committed a player at your position, it should also move to “Secondary List.”
If a school responds to your intro email saying they DO need your position in your grad year, they should move to the top of the list. I like to color code these schools green as “ACTIVE.” You should keep in touch with these schools every week to 2 weeks.
How does a school make it to your COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL TARGET LIST in the first place?
I’ve created a PDF guide HERE to help you choose the right schools for you and get started creating your list.
Below are 4 areas of focus when populating your list and determining the criteria important to you:
- LEVEL OF PLAY – If schools have contacted you through camp brochures, mass emails and letters, research those schools. If you are interested in them, add the school to your target list. And here’s a tip: Look at ALL of the schools in their conference. If you are at this school’s level of play, then you are at the level of the entire conference they are in, so it’s a good idea to consider those schools too. I also believe your club coach and/or high school coach will and should give you their honest opinion concerning your level of play. You will also have an idea, along with your parents, and use all of this information to decide. You can have multiple Divisions and NAIA schools all on your list, if you like, that’s OK!
- LOCATION – what area of the country are you interested in? Geographically, it’s fun to see where the schools are on the map! The NCAA website has created a member schools resource that is interactive HERE! Filter by volleyball or beach volleyball, then you can filter down further by conference, division, state and more. You can also do an online search for NCAA schools specific to the division or conference you’re interested in based on level and location to add to your target list.
- FINANCIAL – what are you looking for from a scholarship perspective? Division 1 schools have more full scholarships available. Ivy League schools are “financial needs-based,” as are Division 3 and they do not have athletic scholarships. There are partial scholarships available at many Division 2 schools and for most beach volleyball programs. Many schools have some designated “walk-on” roster spots that are recruited positions, but no athletic money is available or designated, therefore calling it a “walk-on” position. All of these should be factored in when you decide which schools to put on your list.
- ACADEMIC – what do you want from an academic perspective? If you only want to attend a school that is considered “high academic” that will determine many schools on your list. If you get good grades, but the size of the school is important and, of course, the area of study you are interested is a primary factor. The schools on your list must have the area of study you choose or they should not be on your target list. If you don’t know what you want to study yet, then that isn’t a criteria for a school making your target list quite yet.
In the end, there are hundreds of schools where you can play volleyball in college. Create a list (click “+” in google sheets to create a new sheet 🙂 and follow the guidelines I’ve outlined to get started. The list will become a reflection of you, your work ethic and your desire to play volleyball in college. It will keep you organized and on top of your recruiting process. In time, it will set you up for a successful recruiting process helping you to find the school and the volleyball program that’s the best fit for you both academically and athletically!