5 Tips for Securing a College Volleyball Scholarship
Hey there! This week is all about how to get a college volleyball scholarship. Maybe you’re in high school, looking to play volleyball in college and don’t really know where to start. I was a little lost when I was in high school, too. But don’t worry, I’m here to share my advice so you have a starting point as you continue on the recruiting journey.
1) Put in the extra work now
First thing’s first, you have to work very hard to be able to play in college. There are a lot of different levels you can play at depending on your goals and skill level- Division I, II, III, NAIA, or Junior College. But, whatever level you are aspiring to play at, you must put in the extra work now. In my opinion, ages 15-18 are the most foundational years. I feel like the majority of my skills were formed in those years, and I’ve just gotten stronger, smarter, and refined those skills since then. I’m not saying that you don’t work on technique or build skill after age 18, but those years really build the foundation.
My point is that you must put in a LOT of work now. You will have to tell your friends, “Sorry, I can’t go, I have practice,” so many times that they might stop inviting you to things, but all the extra hours in the gym will be worth it in the end. If you really want to get a college volleyball scholarship, you will have to spend hours and hours doing repetition after repetition. And, you must be intentional and work the hardest you possibly can. For me, my love of volleyball allowed me to push myself and work ridiculously hard because I was (and still am) obsessed with becoming the best I can possibly be. Put in the hours now, stay after practice to get more reps, and practice at home. In addition, use your free time to play any type of game outside or a different sport other than volleyball to help you become a better athlete in general.
2) Put yourself out there
Honestly, the recruiting process was hard for me as an introvert who hates talking on the phone and putting herself out there. Unfortunately, it’s one of those things where you have to suck it up and just do it. Reach out to colleges, tell them who you are and what tournaments you’ll be at. Chances are if you’re playing in big Qualifier tournaments with your club, there will be plenty of college coaches watching. Email them your schedule before you go so they can come to your court and watch. Keep your club and high school coaches involved so they can be there to help you. The recruiting process can be intimidating, so use the resources around you. And remember, you’re trying to get a scholarship so you have to be able to promote yourself and your qualities.
3) GO TO CAMPS
This might actually be my biggest tip. Assuming all the craziness with the pandemic dies down this summer and colleges have camps again, make sure you’re attending some of them. If you have a school in mind that you want to go to, attend their camp. It’s like a tryout. You get to meet the coaches and team, they get to watch you play, and they get to interact with you. Plus, you can see if you really want to be a part of their program because you will see how they run the program, what it’s like to live on campus, and what their facilities are like. It’s a win-win situation. If you end up not liking the program, then you still got some good training in and can check that school off your list. If you are able, attend multiple camps of the schools in your state. Maybe your high school will do some team camps at colleges, too. I didn’t realize how important this tip was until I was transferring, and the head coach at DU remembered me from a camp at a school where he used to assistant coach at and wanted me to come play for DU. So, go to camps if you can! You never know who you’ll connect with or where you will make an impression.
4) Get video of yourself playing
This one wasn’t as important for me because the places that recruited me watched me play in person, but this tip is crucial now during the pandemic. First, some of the college seasons were postponed from the fall to winter, so coaches aren’t able to recruit like they used to. Plus, you can’t really make full plans at the moment so it’s best to at least have some video, even if you don’t need it. What I do as a pro is create a highlight video of my best attacks, blocks, and serves. I’m a middle blocker, so you’ll want to adjust your video accordingly depending on your position. Then, I also collect 2 full match videos of my best games. It doesn’t matter if your team loses, but you’ll want to make sure they’re your best games and that the games are at a high level. If you’re not able to have these types of video, collect whatever you can, whether it’s from practice or just getting reps. I’m not sure how the recruiting process is going right now but I know it has to be helpful to have as much video as you can, just in case.
5) Stay Open and Positive
Lastly, I want to encourage you to stay as patient and positive as you can. The recruiting process can be very taxing and discouraging at times, but you must keep putting yourself out there and staying patient if it truly is your dream to play in college. Teams might not always have a need for your position in your class, so don’t feel like you’re not good enough if schools say no. They might already have 4 different people in your position. Plus, a school you’ve never heard of might reach out to you and it could be the perfect fit. Stay open to all the possibilities and don’t shut places off because you think you’re too good for them, have never heard of them, or aren’t in a location you think you would want to be in. You might find after taking a visit that it actually is a perfect fit and the location is better than you expected. In addition, in my opinion, it’s better to go to a place that reaches out to you and actively wants you rather than go to a place where you don’t feel wanted. It makes a huge difference, trust me. So, stay open to all possibilities and keep working hard when you’re in the waiting period. Once you finally find a school, it’s the best feeling because it’s all done and you can put all your focus into volleyball instead of recruiting.
I hope you find these tips helpful! I go through a mini process of this every year looking for a new club in Europe to play for, but it’s definitely not as exhausting as the college recruiting process. A few more things to keep in mind when you’re deciding on a school are the academics, the location, the team/coach dynamics and personalities, the conference the school is in, the facilities, who else has committed in your incoming class, whether you will have the chance to start as a freshman, and what kind of support/resources they have for student-athletes. When you go on a visit to the school, can you really see yourself there? Listen to your gut and trust what it’s telling you. It’s good to have an idea of where you want to go, but don’t get too excited about a place before you even visit or talk with the coach. And remember, if you feel like you’ve exhausted all your possibilities and can’t seem to get a scholarship anywhere, there is always the option to walk on and try to earn a scholarship while you’re there.
If you have no idea where to start, start with the schools in your state. There’s nothing wrong with staying close to home. When I transferred I was 20 minutes away from home. But, there’s also nothing wrong with going somewhere across the country. You need to really sit down, spend some time alone, think about what you would like your future to look like and make a list of schools you think will help you get there. At the end of the day, you will not be an athlete forever, so you should pick a place that has some subjects you want to study or the degree you know you want to get. Reach out to your coaches for support when you get too overwhelmed. You’ve got this! Please feel free to ask me any questions you might have, too. I may not be current with the new recruiting rules, but I have many connections with the college volleyball world and I’d be happy to help! Follow Shine On Volley on Instagram for more!