College Volleyball Unofficial and Official Visits

I remember as a kid, the toughest day of the year was December 26th. A whole year to wait until Christmas came along again; a kind of child hangover from the Holiday rush. I sincerely hope that all of our readers had a healthy, happy and safe Christmas Day!!!

With the NCAA Dead Period coming to a close in a few days, a reader has a question about Unofficial Visits - Remember that an Unofficial Visit is allowed during a Quiet Period.

Q-when a PSA makes an ‘unofficial’ visit to a school….is the school required to notify the NCAA, or some other organization? And if so, is this information public to other college coaches? Our daughter, after taking an ‘unofficial visit’ and having a D1 program attend one of her HS games, has had an influx of letters in the mail-from all over not just one particular conference. Coincidence or can the two be related some how?

~A Fan

Unofficial Visits are not regulated in terms of the number of visits, time taken (other than not during a Dead Period) or necessary NCAA documentation. Schools do not need to report Unofficial Visits, yet many keep internal paperwork which provides some documentation about when a Prospective Student Athlete (PSA) was on campus.

Unofficial Visits can be taken at any time outside of a Dead Period - Freshman year, February 29th of your Junior year, on a full moon Tuesday, etc. Anytime that you want to go to a campus, see the coach and tour around, you are good to go.

The Unofficial Visit is the new Official Visit - Because of the Internet, well developed club volleyball organizations and high school programs that have perspective, an Unofficial Visit is the mechanism to gain knowledge about potential colleges. Nowadays, the majority of Official Visits are just a fun trip to come to campus, hang out with your new team mates, get some class scheduling decisions made and relax because your decision has been made for some time - It is also a great way to get some good free meals in your new town!

Many times, volleyball programs would rather it not be known that a PSA took an unofficial visit. Better to grab a good player before others are aware she is in the process of making her decision. It can be a small world when it comes to volleyball recruiting, especially those institutions which are in close proximity to each other and this may account for some of the additional postal service deliveries to your daughter.

But, to directly answer your question - no reporting to the NCAA or conferences by any host institutions is required. I would guess that it was coincidence or maybe your high school coach had mentioned the facts of your daughter's Unofficial Visit and another Division I school coming on campus to an additional school(s) that happened to call her - Basketballs are very active in communicating with high school/club coaches, and I would feel such verbal glad handing could easily occur within the volleyball realm.

As a review of Official Visit details, per NCAA rules, the host institution (the one providing the Official Visit) is to provide a written copy of the institutions graduation rate, the NCAA graduation rate and the Five Visit Letter. In theory, these documents are to be mailed at the earliest opportunity after a face to face encounter (home visit, high school visit, etc), but usually occurs immediately before an Official visit.

The graduation information is generally hard to understand and I rather believe the NCAA makes it this way to keep those interested in learning just how few athletes graduate. In summary, women's volleyball has a very high graduation rate in all schools and not so much for basketballs and football. I just saved all PSA's a bunch time trying to understand all the numbers.

The Five Visit Letter, which must have a more official sounding name but it is simply known as the Five Visit Letter to athletic departments, just informs the PSA that they are allowed Five Official Visits to NCAA schools. Back in the day, this was important in college volleyball because athletes generally waited until making a series of Official Visits before making a decision about their future college. Now days, between unofficial visits and panic attacked families in their Senior year, taking anywhere near five Official Visits is as rare as a double hit call.

Hope that helps and enjoy the ride!

Outside or Middle Attacker - What to Position to Play?

I’ve heard from a couple sources with the huge demand for the OH position the MB/MH position is becoming harder to fill in the elite College programs and beyond, is this true? I have a 6’1 daughter with nearly a 10’ reach…who is incredible at outside however LOVES the middle position, and is equally good at that position. The obvious fact is 6’1 isn’t very tall for MB, or with bigger hops does it matter? To me I think the key is that she’s playing a position she loves. However, she does have college VB dreams as well so she wants to be realistic.

Loyal CollegeVolleyballCoach Fan

It took college coaches about 3 years after the rally score change to realize that the OH position is now dominant to the exclusion of other spots. With side out scoring, a team could win with dominant middles and average outsides - this is not the case any more; in fact, you could not win without a top setter who could spread the offense, now you just need someone who can set a high ball to left front.

To take from the most recent NCAA Championship, look at Penn State. For years, they were known for their dominant middles, top flight setting and solid outsides. By chance I had visited with Coach Rose about a tough loss they had in the post season after the change to rally score (did not get as far in the tournament as they were used too) and his comment was that he had a very good side-out team, but not a rally score team. When I asked him to elaborate, his answer was his outsides were not strong enough terminators. This has obviously changed with the two big outside hitters of these last two seasons, led by Hodge.

Like parents going after the prize toy during the Christmas season, college coaches have gone nuts to find outsides than might be terminating hitters and because of this, there is huge demand for tall outsides; which has the ramification of middle attackers looking at jumping position to the outside slot to be recruited. When club coaches get constantly asked about outsides, who could play outside, could this player be switched to an outside, etc., it is an easy jump for the club coaches to start shifting players into the outside position in club volleyball. When parents have invested tens of thousands of dollars into club volleyball, the outside hitting position looks attractive when the club coaches are relaying the questions they receive from college programs.

To answer one part of your question, yes, it is harder to get the elite level middles of year's past for all volleyball programs. Some schools are taking tall, very uncoordinated middles in hopes of training them to a Division I level by their upper classmen years, while others are taking much smaller than desired middles to have someone who brings exprience and comfort to the position. Too many prospective student athletes (PSA's) say they are outsides and jump clubs/teams just to get into the outside position for recruiting reasons, when they should be playing middle.

I think there is a bit of a backlash happening in some situations - just because you happen to be tall, does not mean you are a complete OH. In 25 point rally games, serving has become much more specific and college teams immediately target the OH that is the weakest passer. The switch to rally score made serving a premium (yet, I feel as if the servers are missing more serves than before?) and college programs are much more adept at breaking tape to target weak passers. If a player is not a true or comfortable outside hitter, then they will get served immediately and often.

In the club level volleyball, poorer passers are not as easily discovered and can hide effectively; the courts are significantly smaller so the servers don't serve as tough, and the skill level of the opposing players may not allow them to place their serves consistently. This is not the case in college - the courts are big so there is plenty of room to serve deep bombs or the fifty variations of jump serves and the opponents can all hit the serving zone repeatedly.

Just attacking from the outside does not mean a player is an outside hitter. The outside hitter is the power and the glue for the team - they must have the power to terminate, yet they must have the passing, defensive and blocking ability to keep the team cohesive and in rhythm. There are many club tournaments in which I happen to look my Palm (not my hand, but the device) to see where a certain 18's PSA is going off to school and too many times I am genuinely surprised where the PSA committed, because I don't see the skill sets that will allow them to be successful within the conference they will compete.

Some coaches feel that an athlete can be taught or trained to be an outside hitter - I don't believe so. I believe their outside hitting skill sets can be improved, but there are certain intangibles to this position. For me, a PSA either can pass or they can't, they can play defense or they can't, they take the proper approach and hit all angles or they don't. I do not feel that I have the ability to re-teach six to eight years of volleyball muscle memory and mechanics - Again, I can improve, tighten, polish, fine tune, etc., but I can't turn a Taurus into a Rolls.

I have learned the hard way to give up height/potential for talent. I would rather have a 5'10" outside with all the intangibles, than a 6'2" player who has potential to become an outside. Too many times, potential is never reached. Some could argue that with the twelve substitutions, then there are many times an outside does not need to pass or play defense, just to hit. This is true, but 25 points is a very quick time frame from which to bounce a key player in and out, thus taking them out of the rhythm of the game and letting them physically cool down.

With your daughter - She should play the position she likes the best. My belief is that college coaches will come back around a bit and realize while having a dominant OH is great, if the middles are not a threat and can't block, unless you have a Hodges outside, success will be limited. Maybe we have robbed Peter to pay Paul - college coaches are now re-evaluating the MB position.

Another mistake we may have made is falling in love with height - you hear stories that State U has a 6'5" MB and two 6'4" OH's, etc., but height does not make talent. Look at Hawaii's M1, she is not tall but very athletic - Speed and jump are as important as height. No matter how tall a player may be, no matter what the position, if the setter is sprinting 20 feet off the net to set the ball, this height is negated. The bad pass allows the defense to set up, and the angle of the set will force an adjustment in the timing/angle of the hitter's approach and takes away the attacker's advantage of height.

If a tall player can pass and likes the outside position, then that is the spot for them - If they cannot pass, but have height, then middle is the spot for their college future.

What's the Score of this Championship?

Bang, we lost another toe:

Coach,

Watching the NCAA championships last night underscored a problem we have in our sport that no other sport that I can think of seems to ever have.... incorrect scores.

How unbelievable was it to see it happen during the NCAA Championship match? They GOT THE SCORE WRONG!

This happens all the time, and now I know it's not just in club volleyball. I've seen it happen at Nationals at 18-Open, so it's not just the younger girls who mess it up.

Can you think of any other sport that has this problem? It would literally be unthinkable for it to happen in basketball, football, soccer, tennis... why does it have to happen in volleyball so much?

I think the answer is that the scorekeeping process is a very bad process in volleyball, without the proper checks and balances, and with referees seemingly out of the process altogether. I can think of a few solutions, but I'm interested in yours.

If you were able to change the way this was done, and your objective was to make incorrect scores as uncommon in volleyball as they are in every other sport, how would you change it?

Anna


It was just a tad bit embarrassing that the officials (Referee, Umpire and Scorekeeper(s)) of the NCAA Championship could not figure out the correct score. Even the play by play commentator on ESPN was in disbelief of the situation. This happens because points are scored too fast in one point increments, thus leading to mistakes. No matter the score sheet or system, the points happen quickly and one person is keeping track of too much. The Libero tracker (one person doing this) is a waste because every coach in USA College Volleyball is very simple in their use of the Libero - maybe this person should be allocated to additionally track substitutions?

If I could change the score keeping, it would be to change the scoring system back to sideout or serve to get a point scoring. Many years ago the college volleyball coaches were feed the line that switching to rally score would be the miracle cure for volleyball. Back then, we were all witness to the rapid support increases for women's basketball and I fully believe the change to rally score was a reaction to what we saw happening within our own departments.

Women's Basketball did nothing to their sport to garner the current support they enjoy. They did not make the 3 point basket a 5 point basket, they did not widen or narrow the key, they did not designate that some players were not allowed in certain parts of the court - What they did do was take advantage of the direct comparison to men's basketball and DEMAND equity; Title IX was the mechanism to create what we all see today.

The volleyball public (coaches, players, fans) made a poor decision and instead of realizing our mistake, we are only compounding it. Changing the score from 30 to 25 is not going to make things better, it will only make things 5 points shorter. Changing the ball handling to allow the absolute garbage touches of today did not make things better, it only made it sloppier. We have taken our sport to the lowest common denominator, with no benefits.

Instead of pushing forth a national agenda through the AVCA and the power conferences of Volleyball to become the second female flagship sport, we decided to change our sport. Change the perception of the volleyball through intelligent efforts with administrators and the media, don't change the sport.

If we could gaze into the crystal ball of alternate futures, we would find no difference between support for volleyball by NOT changing the rules/scoring. Any gains we have made with support, media coverage and popularity are not the byproduct of the rule changes. These positive situations are the result of volleyball being a fun sport to play, no matter how you score it and because some schools/conferences believe volleyball is a Flagship sport.

The 'keeping up with the Jones' mentality has allowed additional programs to increase their support levels. A couple of SEC schools decide to increase support for volleyball; this display ripples to other schools that will not let Alabama (or Georgia, or Arkansas, etc.) out-support them with any teams. This mind set is all too evident in football/basketball with outrageous salaries and Fort Knox support; for some conferences, this is also applies to volleyball, but maybe with Fort Worth, not Fort Knox support. These positive volleyball support changes had nothing to do with the rules alterations of the last few years.

The casual fans will say they love rally score and the players will say they like rally score, but the current crop of players have never played sideout score and the casual fans are just that. If soccer severely compressed their playing field and removed 3 players per side, one would see a bunch more goals; more goals scored quickly is better. Since it is better, then NCAA Women's Soccer should change their playing field to increase popularity, thus be on television and everyone knows that once a sport is on television it is milk and honey.

But, but, but, to answer your question, the NCAA will have two official score sheets (if they already have two, then they will have three) at the next Final Four. The Officiating crew looked amateur and NCAA Women's Volleyball looked hollow.

In one sense, we have left a good car for one that looked cool, but keeps breaking down. Instead of going back to what was dependable, known and trusted, we keep going to the shop to try and fix it.

NCAA Volleyball Championship - A Humbling Reminder

I was reading the USA Today (Thursday, December 18) and came across a little blurb, almost a reporting hiccup, about the NCAA Women’s Volleyball National Championship. After I read the few lines of information, I became disheartened about just how far away NCAA Women’s Volleyball is from attaining attainable goals.

It was not a big sporting news day – Thursday means no professional football scores to report or lead-in stories for the next day’s games, college basketball just had a couple of games played the previous night and the 900 football bowl games have yet to commence. The cover story was about how Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) is not happy because he can’t be himself with the Phoenix suns and the other two front page stories were of NFL games four days away and winter baseball information. The Sports section was one of filler – summary stories, personal stories, etc. – Not the usual fare of recap and preview stories about sporting events.

I found the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball hiccup on page 4 or 6, buried in the lower left hand corner because I was bored enough to read every page. Just a couple of lines of information about the match-ups, in the smallest type that USA Today uses (much smaller than their article font size). What was bothersome to the volleyball fan in me, was that just above the NCAA ‘by the way’ about our National Championship, there were more lines, in larger type, devoted to Florida quarterback Tim Tebow filing paperwork with the NCAA to explore going professional. Wow – How far do we have to go when the paperwork filing of a football player trumps the entire Division I Women’s Volleyball season?

If there was ever a great opportunity for our sport to gain media attention (anyone remember the Olympics?), it would be this year: 1) Penn State had not dropped a single game (excuse me, set) all season (at time of the USA Today), 2) Nebraska overcomes the odds to make it through to their home court Final Four and almost assuredly set a new attendance record, 3) Stanford makes another trip to the Final Four and will the potential of Cynthia Barboza be fulfilled with a championship?, 4) Texas makes a return trip and brings the Big 12 up a huge step by having two teams in the last two matches. These are all topics that are worthy of a full article, not 4 sentences of tiny type.

Consider the amount of press coverage that U. of North Carolina men’s basketball or U. of Tennessee women’s basketball would garner at the Final Four had they gone undefeated and never been behind at halftime and won every game by twenty points. The sport’s news coverage and commentators would be falling all over themselves to talk about this unheard of feat. The odds against another volleyball team doing what Penn State has done this year are beyond huge – I would think if you asked any volleyball coach, at any level, if they thought a NCAA Division I team could sweep every single match they played? NO WAY!!! Would be the response – No way!

Begs the question – Why no coverage? I believe it is the responsibility of the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee, working hand in hand with the AVCA to do anything and everything to attract, garner and insure media coverage in all its many forms. This is all a part of marketing and promotions, and it is relatively cheap. The USA Today is the only national newspaper; every hotel, airport and newsstand has a copy of it at all times. What about CNN Sports, Headline News, The Sporting News, Fox Sports, the LA Times, the New York Times? These are examples of national level media which could do more in one event of exposure than everything we have paid for up until this point and they are free! I say paid, because there is a Media Fee on the DI Head Coaches membership to the AVCA.

The NCAA and AVCA may counter that it is the responsibility of the individual institutional Sports Information Directors and Media Relations to attain this goal. I completely disagree. The school’s SID’s can take care of their local media, but not the national media; a national volleyball organization should handle the national media.

NCAA Championship Report

OK - Just a quick report from the pre-match day at the NCAA Championship. First of all, it is COLD; I mean like temperature in the teens cold. At least the sky is blue and there is little if any wind - I guess Nebraska would have some local advantage, but the team buses pull into a sheltered area in the Qwest Center, so the 3 seconds Stanford and Texas are exposed will be forgotten. Along that line of thought, maybe Penn State would not be bothered by the chill. In any case - I don't believe teams will be walking around outside when they have down time; maybe next year in Tampa!

A few things that I noticed while watching the team practices:

1) The teams are tall; everyone knows this, but I was amazed by the number of kids putting shoulders above the net when taking hitting reps. Texas really stood out with their tall ones and Stanford was probably the shortest team.

2) The practices by and large were very relaxed. One would think that after 30+ matches, you know what you need to do. Penn State finished 20 minutes early and bailed, I only caught the last 10 minutes of Stanford's practice, Texas did a bunch more scrimmaging situations than I anticipated, and Nebraska looked to be the most structured and repetition oriented. With the exception of Nebraska, the other teams were almost casual about the work-out.

3) Penn State and Stanford each had that 'been here before' confidence about them - they seemed to know they are the real deal.

4) The drills that these teams do is just like the same drills almost every college volleyball team does, but they do them better. As simple as that sounds, it is true - they went after every scramble ball, finished every dig, they hit line-angle, they moved their feet to pass, they were in the correct spot when it was time to attack, defend or transition and they hit the ball in the court - they got blocked 10 times more (in team situations) then they hit out.

5) When Nebraska came onto the floor there were cheers from hundreds of Nebraska supporters and multiple television cameras filming. It was cool to see families with young kids (skipping school, I might add) that came out to watch the teams practice and specifically came to watch the Huskers.

6) The facility is very nice and I am curious if it will fill up for the semi-finals.

7) After watching both teams practice, I do stand by my prediction of Penn State and Stanford - they just seemed to project the most confidence.

Hope you enjoy the match in person or on television!

NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship, et al

Wow, the volleyball season always seems to fly by. As a college coach, there are seasons you never want to end and there are seasons in which Thanksgiving cannot come quick enough. After a while, the yearly NCAA tournament results tend to blend into each other because it is always Stanford (Pac 10 team) versus some team not from the West Coast - I understand that this is a rather sweeping observation, but true. In one sense, this is a credit to Stanford and the ability of that school/program to continuously win in the toughest conference in the country and then matriculate into the last match of the year.

This college volleyball standard operating procedure will not change until somebody puts pressure on the NCAA to completely seed the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship. (Hey, I just had a great idea; what if the AVCA was to bring this type of pressure to bear? Oh yes, I forgot, the future of NCAA Women's Volleyball is actually College Beach Volleyball.) Currently, only spots 1 through 16 are seeded.

Looking at the 2008 NCAA Women's Volleyball bracket (click here) there are some teams that have achieved great seasons, only to be rewarded with a match up that is almost like punishment. Wichita State had a RPI of 19 (NCAA pre-tournament RPI is here), yet by getting Texas in the second round, their NCAA seed was 30. Long Beach State garnered a RPI of 24, yet by playing Stanford in the second round was a #31 seed. Folks may say, "what a great opportunity to play a high ranked team...", that is talk of yester-year and pie in the sky. I can promise you that if the initials were WBB, instead of VB, Wichita State and LBSU fans/administrators/player and parents would be going off on the NCAA. But not well mannered Women's Volleyball.

We get what we settle for and since our coaches association is proven powerless to advocate for anything substantial in professional development (and readers, I am not talking about going off to some clinic where we can learn about stack blocking, or a light speed offense, or some new passing system that the Kiwi's are employing; I mean getting more in salary, marketing and budget support) or positively advocate our right to even choose the rules of which we play our sport by, and our leading coaches don't speak up about inequities or are not being heard if they do (if a tree falls in the forest and a newspaper, or FOX Sports, or the USA Today, or ESPN is not around to record it, does it make a sound?); we have settled for this poor situation.

A side note, the last time I heard about a top flight coach speaking up, was when John Cook (supposedly) called the Pac 10 coaches to the carpet for not using their national status and success to advocate for better support of volleyball - If I remember correctly, everyone (supposedly) was all mad at Cook for daring to call out one of the family. The one, and maybe the only, thing I admire about women's college basketball is that they had the courage to demand better treatment and there were a few coaches that said we can do better. To this end, I compliment, once more, Lindy Vivas for having the courage to step up at Fresno State and say that what was being done was not acceptable. Lindy, if you are reading this, I nominate you for director of the yet to be formed College Volleyball Coaches Union.

OK - I feel better after getting that out of my system. This is one of those times I wish I was wildly rich, like just hit the Powerball rich, because I would be the person the college volleyball coaches loved and the Administration/NCAA hated. I would have no fear of being fired because I was, yes, wildly rich. I might even keep a lawyer on retainer just to be able to fire off lawsuits when something really got me mad! How great would it be to sit in any Athletic Department meeting, or volleyball conference meeting, or NCAA Volleyball meeting and hit the GONG button when something was not right, but not have to worry about burning bridges. I think I need to invest in some lottery tickets!

To finish out the Reader Poll that was listed on the right side bar, "Which program will go deepest in the Championship?", the readers selected Florida with 48% percent of the vote, Oregon garnered 34%, Utah 13% and Tulane squeezed out 3%. Everyone but the Green Wave made the Sweet 16, but not one of our group made the Elite 8! Oregon had the best chance with #6 Minnesota going down early, but could not overcome the momentum of the Cyclone to advance.

As for my Sweet 16 picks, they were rather like my last Chinese meal; sweet and sour. Penn State and Stanford coming through were not too difficult to determine. My upset special was no upset, but it was worth a try. I do congratulate Iowa State on making a great run through the tourney (and this from a team that had 12 loses!!!) and taking a game from Texas on the Longhorn campus. The NCAA Volleyball Championship site was most relieved by Nebraska's fantastic comeback - the tickets are gone, gone, gone! I did not have the cable system to watch the Washington vs Nebraska match, but by the box score and all accounts, it was an outstanding volleyball match.


The Final Four Picks -

Penn State vs Nebraska (or Ms. Perfect versus the Red Sea) - Penn State is the better team and should this game be played anywhere else but in the State of Nebraska, I don't think too many people would give the 'Huskers a chance. But, that sea of red and let's not forget the blow-up Husker hopping around the arena (he looks nice enough, but those winters can turn a mascot's soul into evil), will be worth a couple of points for Nebraska. I would be genuinely surprised if Penn State won in three, but I would expect them to win. They have the best player in college volleyball and in my opinion, the best coach in college volleyball. If they pass, they win.

Texas vs Stanford - Stanford has not dropped a game in the tourney and probably was expecting more out of Hawaii, but they have not played a post season team with the Longhorn's height and athleticism - Those are some big kids down in the Lone Star state. I would like to think that Texas will come ready to play, but Stanford just has too much on its side of the net. As long as the Cardinal outsides don't vanish, along with the passing, Stanford punches the ticket to play on Saturday.


National Championship

Penn State vs Stanford - Didn't we just do this last year? Penn State in 4. Barboza has yet to have a good NCAA tournament Final that approaches her hype. Klineman will be better than in 07 just because she is no longer a freshman, but they have a new setter. Penn State's setter got yanked in last year's Final, but will be more composed in 08. The rest of State College will be ready to repeat.

But maybe I am completely wrong - Vote in the newest Reader Poll located on the right side bar!

NCAA Volleyball Recruiting - School or Spot?

A tough decision for any 18 year old to make!!!

Coach,

I am a senior in high school. I have been talking to several schools and have gone on visits. I have been offered a scholarship to one, however my favorite so far is a DIII school. The coach on the visit says they do not guarantee spots and that there are tryouts in the end of summer (right before season starts and after you move in). Is this normal?

I guess I just don't understand how a program can get better because all of the really good athletes are going to go somewhere where they know they can play. There is a difference from making a team and playing, and I totally respect that. The person who will better benefit the team should play. The coach viewed my tape and had all good things to say about it saying that I could help the team out, but then says that the team is picked in tryouts.

While talking to my high school coaches they think this is not common and are advising me that since I love the game and want to play, to go to another option. If I knew if I even had the opportunity to be on the team and earn a playing spot, I would pick that school. However, I really want to play and don't want to go there and give up another opportunity where I am already offered a spot on the team.

Any suggestions as to how to go about this situation? Is it wrong to have the high school coach call and talk to the coach? Thanks,

Confused Volleyball Player


Well, I can understand why you are Confused. On the surface your situation does seem to go against the grain of how NCAA volleyball programs are traditionally administered and how a team should go about becoming better each season, yet there is one important clue - You are talking about a Division III program.

Division III Athletic Departments can be a different world, when compared to traditional competitive focused Division I and Division II schools. Since Division III schools do not offer athletically based scholarships, they have already gone drastically against the grain for building competitive volleyball teams. Some schools do put a priority on being successful, while other schools view Athletics as something that enhances the student experience at their institution, but nothing more - no different than the drama department, or sororities, or a business society. My guess would be the Division II school that you like is probably this type of institution.

When view in this light, the statements of your coach make sense. It could well be department policy not to allocate positions to an athletic team before the student arrives on campus - sounds crazy but I know of schools that do this. The coach can provide positive feed back, like this coach did with you, but cannot go so far as to assure a PSA that they have a roster position. Remember, Division III schools sometimes are not concerned with winning, but rather with participation.

You are correct in your assertion that this is not the way to build a competitive program. Unless the other programs in the conference have the same policy, this school would be at a disadvantage because not too many talented volleyball players are going to go to a school that does not open the door to the team locker room for them.

I would not have the high school coach call and talk to them, the DIII coach has explained the situation; he/she will just be repeating the same thing.

In the Division I recruiting process, it is advised and rightly so, to pick your future not because of the program or coach, but because you like the school. I know not every PSA does this, but many times for athletes, the volleyball programs can be so close that it does come down to something about the school that they find the most comfortable - location, size, academic standing, weather, etc.

If you like the Division III institution the best and would go there had you not been blessed to be an athlete, then trust your volleyball abilities to make the roster and become an impact player. Hopefully you or someone you trust has seen this DIII team in a match and could honestly determine your comparative ability.

On the other hand, if you want the mental stability and comfort of going to a school that has flat out said you are on the team and thrown a scholarship your way to prove it, then mental comfort goes a long ways towards happiness. I would not think you are going to pick a school in a war-zone just because they said you were on the team, so the guaranteed spot is probably with a school that meets your academic needs.

Either choice is good, but it is the choice you wake up with a smile on your face in the morning that is the best!

Good luck!

Club Volleyball Quandry - Do I Stay or Do I Go?

This is the first question of its kind that I have received from a reader, but I would suspect that this time of year, many other PSA's and parents could easily find themselves in this position:

Coach

Our daughter, let’s caller her Q, tried out for the 17-18 teams at our current club.

Last year she was a top 16’s and her HS team finished in the top four at State this year.

The 18’s garnered seven new Seniors from outside the club wanting to get seen and this pushed several returning players (Srs) to the 2^nd team. So Q ended up being placed on the 3^rd team – which has a short setter 5’7” and an inexperienced shorter back-up.

We are thinking this will NOT be a good team to be on as the setting is weak and they will always play at a lower level. We are planning on sitting out until the end of January to see if a spot on another club team may open. $3000 is a lot to spend for an less than average experience.

My question is this – since she is a Junior are we risking too much by rolling the dice and hoping for a chance on a better squad? We have been in contact with various colleges and wonder how they will view this? She will continue to train and we will keep her skill sets active.

Is it better to train and wait or play with weak setting?

Typically by spring there are always “things” happening and some spots open up.

Kind Regards

Good question for which I don't know if there is a correct answer. You bring up a point that needs to be mentioned again - You are paying $3000.00 for your daughter to play club volleyball; you have the responsibility to do your best to ensure that this money is spent well.

By your e-mail, it reads as the club's upper age group is a combination age group with 17-18's together; I know that some USA Volleyball Regions tend to have the 18's level encompass the Juniors, while other regions have every age group imaginable.

Since your daughter is a Junior, this is the prime time for college coaches to make their evaluations. I know everyone has heard of such and such a player committing from the Junior age group and there seems to be the resultant herd panic, but the mass majority of schools are still trying to determine exactly who will get the scholarship offers come the spring.

To this end, you would want to make sure she is with a team that has the talent to compete at tournaments in the upper brackets. Parents and PSA's need to remember that when tournaments are not held in the huge catch all convention centers with 100 courts, college coaches need to go find the courts/gyms where the different pools are located. Because of this, we prioritize our day; I need to see player A at 9 a.m. here, then by 12 noon I need to be at this other gym to see player B and the first wave ends at 2 p.m., and if I have time, I will try to go see player C. If player C is in a pool that is not too strong, in addition to being the last PSA on the list, then there is the reality that player C will not be seen by me.

Those hand held tournament information PDA's are great, but they can't jet us around a city to the other gyms - traffic, fast matches, wrong directions and lunch seem to always the better of the recruiting day.

Also, the better the competition, the better a player will become over the course of a club season - playing teams below your ability level will not make you better.

With your daughter being moved to the third team of the club, I would take the chance to wait for a first or second unit to open up a spot with another club. The club season is long and since she is just a Junior, there is more time than you think. Playing with a poor setter, is not going to help matters either.

Don't be too worried about the reaction of college coaches, there is nothing sinister about her wishing to wait for a better spot - College coaches will see that a Junior getting bumped down teams is the result of so many Seniors taking the upper slots.

It is important to trust that your daughter's ability will be matched up with a college that fits her volleyball gifts and hopefully her academic interests.

NCAA Women's Volleyball National Championship Picks

Like everyone else in the college volleyball realm, I will be keeping track of who gets to go make snow angels in Omaha. And, like everyone else, I have my best guesses as to who these teams will be.

First of all, let me preface my selections by saying I am not a roster-match statistics-last 10 games played volleyball guru. Rather these are just my picks from being a bit more aware of college volleyball programs than my neighbor.

The Round of 16:

Penn State vs. Western Michigan - In the upset of the decade....No, Penn State will win and the odds are they will win in three straight. I am still amazed that they have not dropped a game all year (or I guess the correct speak is not a set all year).

Illinois vs. California - Potentially a rather good match, more so since it is in Big 10 country and I really don't see a bunch of folks at State College, PA rooting for the Golden Bears. I doubt this one will be a three straight affair, but I feel California will win. The Pac 10 teams seem to handle the post season well.


Washington vs. Utah - Washington has everything going for them - location, Pac 10 preparation, an opponent who is not from a power conference, history of success - which makes me a bit nervous because they could easily overlook the Utes trying to find Nebraska. The Huskies should win and in 3, but if they were to lose focus, it could be a 5 game loss.


Michigan vs. Nebraska - The match where neither team will have any type of home court/local advantage. I think Nebraska is on a mission to prove to many that their success of the last few year's was not just because of one very tall Canadian - Nebraska wins in 4.


Texas vs. UCLA - My upset special and it would be an upset if the Bruins took out the #3 'Horns at home. Texas is beyond physical, but I chose this match as the upset because UCLA is used to tough matches on the road in the Pac 10, Andy B. (last name too tough to spell) has been winning matches for a long time, they have a really good setter and some players that tasted the Final Four not too long ago. I could easily be wrong and maybe wrong in 3, but I would not be surprised if I am right.

Oregon vs. Iowa State - I doubt many people picked Iowa State to go into MN and win in 4; makes this match a tough call. I will pick Oregon even though it makes me sound like a Pac 10 wannabe, but they did not earn the #11 seed for being average. Like the MI vs. CAL match, this should be a good one to watch.

Hawaii vs. Purdue - A lot of variables in this match. Purdue has gone 5 in both rounds, but both rounds were at home. Hawaii went on the road to sweep both of its matches including Southern California on the USC campus. Purdue is coming from a conference that put 5 teams into the NCAA Championship with 4 of those teams garnering a top 10 seed. Hawaii comes from a conference that only got two teams into the show. My guess is Hawaii because they are used to being road warriors.

Florida vs. Stanford - Both teams sport crazy good records and neither is at home, but Stanford has two outside hitters that seem to be talented; Stanford wins.


Elight 8 - Believing my picks have been perfect on Friday:


Penn State vs. California - Home court, Beth Hodges, Russ Rose, etc., etc., just too much for California - Pac 1o conference or not. Penn State, but not in 3 - shocker!


Washington vs. Nebraska - This will be one very good match up of teams that have talent and coaches that have egos (and have earned the right to have egos!). I think the pressure of being able to play in the Final Four at home (we will call Omaha close enough for the Huskers) is too much for Nebraska and someone (player, coach, manager, trainer) will remember the last big match between these two. Washington in a 5 game battle.


UCLA vs. Oregon - How many times do you have to play a conference opponent? Nothing like travelling to Texas to play another Pac 10 match. UCLA rides the big mojo to shoot into the Final Four! (Non-Upset pick is Texas beats Oregon in 4 after getting over early match/pressure jitters).


Hawaii vs. Stanford - Those two not too bad outsides pack the one-two punch to take the Cardinal (which by the way is a trivia question answer - non 's' ending mascots) once again into the land of the Final Four.


My Disclaimer - I could be completely wrong and I would not be disappointed if I was because this would shake things up a bit and add some fresh air to the usual Pac 10 versus Nebraska/Penn State.


When you watch (if you can watch them on television) or review the stats in-game/post game, the team that has the highest hitting percentage out of their starting outside hitters will win. Folks will rightly look at the overall hitting percentage which also accurately reflects the winner/loser, but try to review the outsides.


Without delving deeply into Stanford's stats the last two NCAA Finals, I had the impression watching Barboza that she was struggling and not hitting a very high overall percentage. In rally score (boo hiss), teams will go as their outsides go.

NCAA Volleyball Quiet Period and Dead Period

Rules, rules and more rules - lots of rules when it comes to the NCAA. In NCAA Division I Volleyball, we have entered a Quiet Period in the Recruiting Calendar. On December 17th, we will enter a Dead Period. Below are the dates:

December 8-16, 2008: Quiet Period.

December 17-31, 2008: Dead Period (NCAA Championship weekend exception but only at Championship site).

January 1 through July, 31, 2009: Contact Period (with the below exceptions).

1) January 1-16, 2009: Quiet Period.

2) April 6-9, 2009: Dead Period (Spring National Letter of Intent Signing Date).

3) May 1-22, 2009: Quiet Period.

** In those states that play the high school volleyball season in the winter, contacts and evaluations shall be permissible January 1 through the Friday prior to the Presidents Weekend Tournaments.


As per the NCAA rules and governance web page:

13.02.4.1 Contact Period.
A contact period is a period of time when it is permissible for authorized athletics department staff members to make in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations.

13.02.4.3 Quiet Period.
A quiet period is a period of time when it is permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts only on the institution's campus. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts or evaluations may be made during the quiet period.

13.02.4.4 Dead Period.
A dead period is a period of time when it is not permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on or off the institution's campus or to permit official or unofficial visits by prospective student-athletes to the institution's campus. The provision of complimentary admissions to a prospective student-athlete during a dead period is prohibited, except as provided in Bylaw 13.7.2.5 for a prospective student-athlete who visits an institution as part of a group. During a dead period, a coaching staff member may not serve as a speaker at or attend a meeting or banquet at which prospective student-athletes are in attendance, except as provided in Bylaw 13.1.9.1, and may not visit a prospective student-athlete's educational institution. It remains permissible, however, for an institutional staff member to write or telephone a prospective student-athlete during a dead period. (Revised:1/11/94)


As you can see, the Dead Period is the most restrictive. The only thing you can do is to e-mail, call and/or write, while adhering to other applicable rules. As for college coaches, we know that everything is dead during the Dead Period; it is now the perfect time to take a vacation after the NCAA tournament because school is out, we cannot recruit on or off campus, and we can send e-mails from anywhere which has an Internet connection.

The Quiet Period is a bit more inclusive with getting some work done as a coach. The Quiet Period is a perfect time for a Prospective Student Athletes (PSA's) to take an Official or Unofficial Visit. The timing of these Quiet Periods are after the High School season has finished but universities/colleges are in final examinations (so school is still in session) and in the spring, the bulk of the big Club tourneys have finished, but again, the colleges/universities are still in session.

The above rules are just for Division I institutions - For Division II institutions, they have the following dates:

30.11.4 Dead Periods for Other Sports.
There are no specified contact and evaluation periods in sports other than football and basketball except for the following dead periods. (See below)

30.11.4.1 National Letter of Intent Signing Date.
The period 48 hours before 7 a.m. on the date for signing the National Letter of Intent in the applicable sport. (Revised: 1/10/91, 8/2/91, 8/14/96 effective 8/1/97)


In this regard, Division II Volleyball coaches have a good opportunity to get out and see players over the Holidays. This is why parents/players will see NCAA volleyball coaches at club practices and tournament in December and early January, but no DI coaches. Many Division II volleyball coaches will take full advantage of this situation to recruit athletes without having to visual compete with Division I coaches in the same building. As I had written about, there is a competitive (and many times scholarship) similarity between low Division I and upper Division II.

Per the rules, there are no Quiet Periods for Division II Volleyball and no Dead Periods, other than before the fall and spring signing date.

In Division III, it is my understanding that they do not have Quiet or Dead Periods. Since DIII does not have a signing date, because they do not offer athletically based scholarships, they would not have the same Dead Period as DI/DIII. Now, certain institutions may set restrictions about recruiting dates. I have searched through the Division III Manual per the NCAA web page and could not locate any recruiting calendars, but I could be wrong on the DIII situation.

I have had a few questions with regards to the Quiet and Dead periods from readers and how these affect each NCAA Division. The DI impact; the Quiet Period is a great time for Unofficial and Official visits, and the Dead Period is perfect for coach's vacations and for PSA's to have a chance to train without some workaholic recruiter in the corner of the gym!

As for Division II, the Quiet and Dead Periods offer an opportunity to evaluate and recruit off-campus without worrying about the attention drifting to the coach with the cool name embroidered on the polo. DII volleyball budgets tend to keep this Holiday recruiting regionally located (i.e. drivable!).

If you are a PSA, use the Quiet Period to visit a campus, meet a coach and get a feel for a potential school. When the Dead Period comes thundering down, use that time frame to focus on your club training to prepare for when all us crazy Division I coaches descend from the mountain top to recruit in late January!

My Christmas Wish - Ivy League Volleyball

One the great things about volleyball, is that it can open so many doors for college. If a player can define themselves and their post-high school aspirations, then they can match a university to their desires. There are over 300 Division I schools and by being intelligent and proactive in the recruiting process, Prospective Student Athletes can find that best fit.

Hello Coach,

I find your website to be incredibly informative and would like your insight on what realistic options may be available to our daughter at an Ivy League school. She is a junior playing second string varsity on a team that just won their C.I.F (California) section as well as playing on a second team in a very competitive club. She has always played with highly talented players, many of whom are looking at the big PAC 10, D1 schools. She is a very academic student with a high G.P.A., among other things, who would very much like to go to an Ivy League school. The quandary we are in is that we are having a difficult time truly evaluating her skill level (as the talent pool she finds herself in is so good) to determine if it is good enough to play at an Ivy League as a walk-on. I read somewhere on your site that many 5’9 all-around good players are like Toyota Camry’s, which may be our case here, but I hope she’d have to have a little more “under the hood” to be able to get on a Division 1A CIF (southern section) champion-level team. I read the profiles of some of the players on the Harvard roster who played for high schools in Div 3 and 5. Would a second string player with no awards from a Division 1A school have a shot as a walk-on? And is it worth a try?

Thank you, Stephanie

This question/situation can be applied to a number of strong volleyball areas in the USA. Stephanie's daughter finds herself, as per the question, in a very strong volleyball high school which successfully competes in a demanding region of the country. In addition, if she is associated with a top flight club team, it makes perfect sense that she is on the second squad as a 5'9" outside hitter. If we were to examine the greater Chicago, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco areas, then we could probably find a number of these type of players - Good all around skills but because of their size and location, they may not garner the desired attention from select college programs.

I compliment the PSA/family for identifying exactly what she wants in college; elite academics and Division I volleyball.

The Ivy League is a unique conference in Division I athletics because they do not award athletic based scholarships. So, per the usual Division I terminology, all of their volleyball players would be considered 'walk-ons'. Another useful way to look at the Ivy League is to relate them to NCAA Division III athletics - no athletically based scholarships. Athletic scholarships are only one component of funding; academic, need based, merit (non-athletic achievements or community involvement) are viable financial streams to offset the high cost of secondary education.

What makes joining an Ivy League school, or any elite level school (Stanford, Cal, Rice, William and Mary, Virginia, etc.), is that there may be many PSA's willing to pay their own way in school, because volleyball can open the Admission door. At a previous school, we had a number of very good athletes, literally begging for the opportunity to walk-on to the program, just to be guaranteed admission to the university. The school itself, because of this situation occurring in all athletic teams, had to put a cap on the number of walk-on PSA's allowed per sport. The PSA's which were requesting a walk-on roster spot, would have easily been full scholarship volleyball players at so many other good DI programs.

Since the Ivy League is a walk-on, albeit a recruited walk-on league, I would guess that there are any number of solid volleyball players which are very intelligent and have the family resources to make an Ivy League school a reality for their future. Walking on at Harvard or Princeton, will not be as easy as walking on at State U!

The first thing I would advise Stephanie's daughter/family is not to sell themselves short. High school or club accolades really do not matter to college volleyball coaches. We want talent that fits our system, not information that looks good in the media guide. While awards are nice, college coaches understand that many athletes are great as juniors, but do not get any better or they received some award not by their abilities but by the politics of high school athletics.

I would stress the positives of the PSA's situation - She is from southern California which holds a certain eliteness within college volleyball recruiting, she plays on a traditionally successful high school program so she is mentally comfortable with winning, has been selected to an elite club team and as a 5'9" outside hitter she would not be expected to beat out 6 footers who are being courted by the PAC 10 conference. If she is playing, she is getting better, especially in club volleyball. Those small southern California regional tournaments represent top level competition that will only make players better.

My direct suggestion is to follow the Recruiting Plan for Juniors as explained on this site - don't approach the Ivy League any different that any other school/program. Get your information out to the schools which you find attractive, get your video out to them via YouTube, a direct e-mail link or DVD, be proactive in your communication and offer to come out for an Unofficial Visit after the NCAA Dead Period ends.

The feedback you receive from these contacted schools will allow you to understand if your daughter is a Toyota Camry fleet car or a Toyota Camry XLE with every option!!! College coaches are usually very good about evaluating video and will know if the PSA is appropriate for their program. Most programs will use a video to determine who they will see in person, rather than the data to make a final decision on a player. Part of your interaction with selected schools is to let them where and when you will be playing, so they can see you in person. The in-person volleyball evaluation is usually one full step up from the video version of a PSA.

The one thing that I would caution against, is that the Ivy League schools could also have limitations on their roster size. This combined with the program's specific needs (in 2010, Harvard may really need MB's and a setter because they have 5 underclassmen OH's), could easily cut the 'available' Ivy League schools in half. To this end, while the Ivy League has a certain academic attractiveness, there are many elite schools that also compete at the Division I level. I have listed a few already, but the US News and World Report does an annual ranking of colleges and universities which should allow you to add some elite institutions to your list. Who knows, you may find that you like the campus of Boston College or Duke better than any Ivy League school and would have better volleyball opportunities. Also, DO NOT discount those non-Division I schools which may rank higher than almost all the Ivy League because they could be your best fit.

Bottom line, trust your ability and don't discount yourself because you are not a 6'1" outside hitter being recruited by the Pac 10. Be proactive, get your information out and keep an open mind.

My belief is that you will be very happy with your future.

Random Volleyball Thoughts on a Monday

Monday morning - Don't really want to start working my paid job (hey, it is the off-season and the NCAA Quiet Period started today), so it is more fun to put on cyber paper some thoughts bouncing around in my head.

• The Pac 10 seems to be as strong as ever, getting 5 of the 6 selected teams into the Sweet 16. Big 10 also did well, but Minnesota losing at home must still sting.
• Each year, the humble masses hope for more non-power conference schools to get NCAA bids (spread the wealth), yet by the round of 16, the power conferences fill the ranks - Only Western Michigan and Hawaii are not from a traditional power conference, and Hawaii is synonymous with women's college volleyball. Congrats to Western Michigan for carrying the non-majors banner; now you get to play Penn State.
• I stand corrected, each Regional Final will be televised on ESPNU according to the bracket on ncaa.com. In an earlier post, I had vented that we drastically changed our sport to have two matches on television. Any increase in media exposure is good and I hope this trends toward getting televised on a channel that more people may have on their cable or satellite systems.
• The brackets on the ncaa.com site (I have direct linked to the DI bracket, but DII and DIII are also available) is cool. It is easy to use, you can gain the in-game and post-game information by just putting your mouse on the match up. Getting the game scores and box score immediately is a nice feature.
• The older I get, the more I appreciate the NCAA Quiet and Dead Periods. It is nice to have an excuse not to go out recruiting. In my younger days, I had voted against recruiting limitations, but now I vote to extend the Quiet and Dead periods. Part of it is selfish because it is easier to shoot e-mails out, rather than travel to another club tournament or practice and part of it is just the reality of women's college volleyball - There is a huge gap between the Haves and the Have Nots; the NCAA recruiting limitations can make this gap a bit more manageable.
• I am surprised by the number of job listing already posted on the NCAA site and there are about 4 others that I know are open, which are not posted. The trend seems to be to get the job announcement out, collect applications and make telephone calls before Christmas, then move quickly into interviewing after the New Year (couple of serious athletic departments will actually hire before Christmas!). Some schools will terminate and then just wait until after the Holidays before moving forward, while others will just have a lengthy application period.
• College Volleyball Coaching is in a Twilight Zone - The Athletic Directors no longer control Football or Basketball (these sports report to the President), so we are next on the totum poll for them to administer. The problem is, college volleyball coaches and programs have come under scrutiny (because the AD's rightly wish to administer some sport) and expectations, but we do not have the corresponding financial (i.e. good salaries) support; thus my term the Twilight Zone.
• Professionally, it is a bit frightening when college coaches are getting terminated after 20 win seasons, or after being consistently in the NCAA Championship but then having an couple of down years. I have no sympathy for football/basketball coaches who get the ax because they are walking with million dollar good-byes (Fulmer at Tennessee got 6 million and Prince at Kansas State got 1.2 million and he only was a head coach for 3 years!). Volleyball coaches are lucky to get a couple of month's salary and benefits when they are given the pink slip.
• Piling on my professional concerns - Football and Basketball head coaches are in enviable spot if terminated; other non-head coaching positions pay very well. In football, offensive and defensive coordinators in the power conference schools are making over 250K! The top basketball assistant coaches routinely pull in over 100K. We are not even considering the option of jumping to the professional ranks to shag balls (Sampson after breaking enough NCAA rules to last two lifetimes is now an assistant in the NBA and Nueheisel jumped to the NFL while he sorted through the lawsuits post U. of Washington). Ex head volleyball coaches are really stuck - Assistant positions do not pay well and we are easily considered a threat to a current head coach. The only realistic option is to drop a rank (either go low DI, if you were a high DI coach or DII/DII); scary, scary, scary - I should have made better grades in school!
• Some good Sweet 16 match-ups this weekend. I will post in depth, supposedly expert picks on Wednesday/Thursday, but I will venture an upset special - UCLA over Texas.
• Do you think USA Volleyball (or Doug Beal) will pick an American, or possibly two, to be the next Head Coaches of the United States of America National Volleyball Teams? One can't argue with his picks this last Olympics, but call me crazy, I would like to see USA citizens coaching our USA Olympic Teams. Lots of reasons/excuses why there are not Americans as the coach, but the fix-it is just to pay more money. Amazingly simple.
• I still cannot believe that Misty May (I dropped the hyphen for simplicity) blew her Achilles tendon on Dancing with the Stars.
• It is with a deep sense of forbidding that I await an e-mail from the NCAA Rules Committee. Come the spring season, we (college volleyball programs) are requested to vote/try out new rules, which according to protocol, will be re-voted/evaluated after the spring season, but somehow always manage to become rules no matter the voting returns.
• I have heard that some of the outer islands in Hawaii still play old school, sideout and ball handling rules. I may have to move there soon to find my volleyball happy place.
• Amazing how soccer, arguable one of the slowest sports for long stretches of game clock has stayed true to its self and enjoys world wide popularity and a solid base of loyal fans in the USA. Just think about all the rules changes and adjustments they could have made, yet they stayed simple and beautiful.
• I did some math with the AVCA Convention approaching - $984.00! This reflects the AVCA Convention Registration, the DI Head Coach annual membership and 1 set of NCAA Championship tickets. This does not include hotel costs (which is crazy for Omaha, Nebraska in December), rental car and food. This short week can easily ramp up to over $2,ooo!!! Yes, I know it does not come out of my pocket, but $2,000 is a few recruiting trips, going to a cool spring tournament, two laptop computers for the program - Or, supporting an organization that is more concerned with beach volleyball and signing up the junior high volleyball coach in Waxahachie, rather than being proactive in the development of coaching as a financially rewarding career.

OK - Enough stalling, I need to earn my keep! Have a nice Monday!

Coach