As a volleyball player who wants to play in college, one of the hardest parts is figuring out what level of play to target. Creating your college volleyball target list is a very important part of the recruiting process. The choices are Division 1, 2, 3, NAIA and Junior College, which are ALL great opportunities and allow for many volleyball players to play at the next level. I made a “Checklist for Creating your Target List” you can access…here.
Playing at the “next level” also means going from being a “BIG fish in a little pond” to a “LITTLE fish in a big pond”! I think almost all players want to attend a school and play for a program where they actually see the court and play by their junior year in college or sooner. When you pursue schools that are your level of play, you have a higher chance of finding a program where you ACTUALLY play, develop as a player, and become a strong contributor to the program.
College coaches have their “target list” of players they are pursuing also. They are receiving emails with highlight video from many players. Coaches review the video, look at the player’s position, grad year, height, etc. It also helps a coach if they know the player is interested in THEIR program, then they decide how and if they respond to the player’s email.
A player’s character and work ethic play a huge role for college coaches, BUT FIRST they HAVE to ask themselves this question and attempt to predict the future:
Q: Will this player or COULD this player help us win our conference and make our team better?
A: If, YES it’s possible, a strong maybe, so…I need to move forward with this player and respond to their email.
The MAGIC happens in the recruiting process when these 2 ends of the spectrum (PLAYER<—–>COACH) meet in the middle and are communicating with each other.
When there is a match in level of play, this will start the recruiting process moving forward and is the first piece of the puzzle to creating MAGIC!
What is perfect to happen NEXT for the player is if the college coach marks them down to watch them play live. This is why a volleyball player needs to create a target list that matches their level of play, versus only willing to play Division 1 volleyball, or only target big name schools at top conferences in the country.
Note: If your recruiting process is at a standstill, with no responses, you are most likely targeting a level that is too high.
Help your son or daughter determine their level of play – Players review these points below:
- Take an honest look at your OWN game, the level of play you are currently playing in club, your physicality, how many years you’ve been playing and fine tuning your volleyball skills. How old you are now and how much time you have to develop.
- Ask your current coaches (high school and club) what level they see you playing in college. What division(s)? What conferences? Note: Power 5 Conference team’s and Top 25 ranked team’s hitters and blockers play at a very high point above the net. For this reason, most of these coaches are looking for hitters that approach jump touch 10 feet and higher.
- Watch college matches in person and on TV. Watch the players in your position and try to imagine if you could play at that level.
- What schools have shown interest in you so far, that were NOT mass emails? Which schools responded when you reached out to them? This is a strong sign as to what level you should target in college! Every school that shows interest in you tells you a lot! This means you could be the level of their conference, so add more schools to your list (that you are interested in) from their conference.
- The NCAA Member Schools Directory is a map of the US with all NCAA schools and conferences. Filter to volleyball, beach volleyball, men’s volleyball and divisions and conferences to find more schools to add to your list.
RECRUITING TIP: Your target list should include mainly schools you believe are your level. Then, include a few “dream/reach” schools and a few “safety” schools. Just as regular students do when applying to colleges. The younger you are the larger your list, I suggest the following – 9th/10th grade = 30-50 schools and 11th/12th grade = 15-30 schools on your target list.
I hope the insight in this article and recruiting tips have helped you! As I always say…keep going, keep emailing, and stay strong…you got this!