Finding a College

Location of Campus
You play for 4 months out of the year. The rest of the time you live there. Send information to the schools where you would seriously considering living for four years.

Academics of the school
Same point as above. Check that they have a good program in your major, or the prerequisites if you need more schooling after your undergraduate work.

Contacting a College

Cover Letter to Coach - Include the following

• Name
• Year in school
• Position
• Height
• Weight
• School
• Teams you play for
• Schedule of upcoming dates

Bio on player - Major details to include:

• Name
• Social Security number
• Address/Email
• Height/Weight
• Position
• School
• Test Scores/GPA
• Anticipated Major
• High School information
• HS Coach Contact
• Uniform Number
• Schedule of HS season or club season
• Stats if available

Skills Tape/ Game Footage
No more than 10 minutes long. Include each basic skill (passing, setting, blocking, hitting, serving). This needs to be edited but needs to stay short. This section gives the coach an idea of basic fundamentals and athleticism. Then include up to an entire match. Make sure you specify jersey number and color. DO NOT edit this! Coaches do not want to see a highlight film. They want to see the mistakes just as much as the magnificent plays.

Email the coach
After a week or so, email the coach to make sure he/she received the information. This shows that you are truly interested in the school and that you are persistent. You can also email before a tournament to remind them of where and when you are playing (if you know).

Communicating with a Coach

First Contact
You may not be contacted by a representative of an institution until June 15 before your senior year.

Subsequent Contacts
You may be called once a week from a coach. The week is from Sunday to Saturday. You may make phone calls to the coach anytime, however. Emails do not count as contact; therefore, you and the coach may make unlimited emails to each other.

Visiting a School

Official Visits

• An official visit is one that the college pays for all expenses to make the visit. This includes transportation, meals, lodging and entertainment.
• You can make 5 official visits to colleges. The school will send you a form to inform you of the 5 visits. It will also need a parent signature and the athletic director’s signature.
• You may not take an official visit until the first day of your senior year.
• You may not work out in a tryout setting until you have finished your high school season.
• You need to have already taken your ACT/ SAT before you are allowed to visit.

Unofficial Visits
You may make unlimited unofficial visits to any college. You must also pay for all of your expenses.

Tryouts
You are only allowed to try out for a team once. You may make additional trips to the college, but not to try out for the team again.

Redshirting

Redshirting is a term that implies you are not using a year of eligibility. You are on the team and you practice just like every one else. The biggest difference is you cannot compete in matches and in most cases you do not travel with the team to away games. Redshirting can be very beneficial for freshmen coming in that are not ready to compete at the new level. Others do it for academic reasons. Still another reason is if your position is saturated and the coach wants to have you for the future. The NCAA allows you 10 semesters of eligibility to play a sport in college. Some students will need that extra year academically, so it works out that way also.

Junior Colleges

• Junior Colleges are two-year schools. You have the opportunity to graduate with your associate’s degree after the two years and transfer to a four-year school. It is important to graduate from the school. Otherwise, the new school will have to look at the classes you took and decide if you have enough credits to transfer in. Transfer students need either their associates or 48 transferable hours.
• Junior Colleges are also good for some athletes to go to initially to gain experience academically and athletically. There are only freshmen and sophomores on the team, so your chances of playing are greatly increased.

Scholarships

Division I offers full rides, Division II offers athletic and academic scholarships. Sometimes this can equal a full ride. Division III offers academic scholarships only. Junior Colleges usually offer pretty close to a full ride if not the entire amount. Scholarships are renewable on a yearly basis.

Other Useful Tips

It's recommended you start researching colleges you are interested in, and begin marketing yourself to those schools beginning your sophomore year of club season. Many college coaches scout at club tournaments (not high school ones) primarily because the college season of play is the same as the high school season, so coaches don't have the time and flexibility to be on the road doing scouting and recruiting activities then. Many coaches are currently looking at 2009 grads to fill their future needs/rosters, so don't think it's too soon to begin!

Once you know which schools you're most interested in, it is recommended that you try to attend one of that school's volleyball camps. This gives coaches an opportunity to see you for a greater length of time, to test your skills and flexibility, and coaches can talk with you at these camps, whereas during other parts of the year NCAA rules don't allow them to have contact with you.