IS IT YOUR DREAM TO COMPETE IN COLLEGE?
If it’s your dream to compete on a college volleyball team, you have to know how the recruiting process works. Our coaches and staff will assist CEVC families with navigating the confusing world of college recruiting. From how to research schools to gauging your best division level, communicating with coaches to assisting with a highlight video and more. All college recruiting services are free to CEVC athletes. To start you on the recruitment journey, we have also included links to helpful articles and resources that will give your family the advice you need to find your best college match.
RECRUITING ARTICLES AND RESOURCES TO HELP YOU NAVIGATE THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Can you get a scholarship for volleyball?
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Yes, there are thousands of volleyball scholarships available for talented student-athletes at the NCAA Division 1 and Division 2 levels, as well as at NAIA institutions and many junior colleges. NCAA Division 3 schools do not offer athletic scholarships, but they do provide other forms of financial aid based on academics, merit or need.
How to get recruited by college volleyball coaches.
The competition to get recruited by college volleyball teams is fierce. Unfortunately, only about 5.8% of high school volleyball players go on to compete in college, and roughly 1% of high school volleyball athletes play at the D1 level. For this reason, it’s crucial that families understand how the recruiting process works, so they maximize all their college athletic opportunities.
When to start the volleyball recruiting process.
Starting the recruiting process is going to really depend on your height, athleticism and skillset. Athletes who are already superstars as freshmen in high school will start sooner than someone who isn’t fully developed until junior year of high school. D1 coaches begin searching for talent the earliest of the division levels, with the majority starting when prospects are in 9th grade. For coaches in power conferences (think: the Pac-12, Big Ten, ACC), there’s a lot of pressure to start recruiting as early as possible, with coaches scouting out talented 8th graders, as well as freshmen in high school. D2 and D3 coaches reported that they begin evaluating recruits in 10th grade, and the majority of junior college coaches kick off their evaluations in 11th grade.
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Athletes should use these dates as a guide post for when they need to have their initial recruiting work done. By the time coaches are evaluating talent, recruits should have a good grasp on the division levels they want to target, a list of schools they are interested in and a highlight video that shows off their best qualities as a volleyball recruit. They should also be reaching out to coaches, so they are on the coach’s radar when they start the recruiting process.
Complete list of colleges with women’s volleyball teams.
College-bound volleyball players have a lot of colleges with volleyball programs to choose from—more than 1,800. Figuring out what the right program is for your athlete can be an over whelming task. A good place to start is by understanding the differences between the division levels. This will help families determine what kinds of schools to target based on athletics, academics and what athletes are looking for in a college experience.
Families can use this information to help them create a target list of schools. We advise that student-athletes include a mix of schools in their list, as they never know which division level might be right for them athletically, academically and socially until they do their research. It is not uncommon for athletes to sign with a school they never considered until they expanded their school search.
How to contact college coaches.
College coaches receive hundreds – if not thousands – of emails every season from potential high school recruits. The trick is to get noticed. Learning how to stand out and really capture the coach’s attention, not just in email, but in social media DMs, phone calls and more.
How to make a volleyball highlight/recruiting video.
College coaches rely heavily on an athlete’s highlight video to show them how they play in a game setting, their athletic skill set and to gain insight on their personality. In many cases, coaches aren’t able to travel to see a recruit compete in person, and the athlete’s highlight video is the primary means they have to evaluate the athlete. An effective volleyball recruiting video is a compilation of an athlete’s best plays to showcase her volleyball skill set. While only 3–5 minutes in length, volleyball recruiting videos have to pack a punch, as college coaches use recruiting videos to determine if they will reach out to a volleyball recruit.
Managing your recruiting process.
If you feel like you’re hitting a lull in your recruitment, it might mean you’ve hit the maintenance portion of the process. There are a number of boxes to check off and steps to take to keep your recruiting moving forward during this time period, including going on campus visits, following up with coaches, understanding upcoming deadlines to name a few.
REGISTER WITH PLAYNAIA.ORG
PlayNAIA.org helps future student-athletes discover and connect with NAIA schools, coaches and athletic scholarships. PlayNAIA is also the official clearinghouse for NAIA eligibility. Every student-athlete must register with the NAIA Eligibility Center to play sports at an NAIA college or university.