My 4 College Volleyball Recruiting Tips For My Club Volleyball Players

To prep my Volleycats Elite club players to be seen by top college coaches here's the "next level" advice I gave them about being physically and mentally ready.

I took a large group of my Volleycats Elite club players to their first USA High Performance volleyball tryouts..this group includes current Stanford starting setter and Sophomore of the Year Kami Miner.(#83)

My four college volleyball recruiting tips that I talked about often with my club volleyball players and parents are: 

• Get the attention of college coaches by competing on a club team and attending prominent club tournaments where college coaches will be

• Be an emotionally, physically and mentally tough coachable student athlete who can travel on their own and still compete and play in favorable and sometimes unfavorable conditions

• Be proactive and make a realistic list of your top college teams you want to play for then contact those coaches by letter or phone and follow up with a highlight video

• Do the extra work outside of practice, at home  and during the summertime specially after your junior and senior season so you stay ready

Kami Miner, 8th grade Setter on Volleycats Elite Cougars 17s, USA High Performance Championships 2017, Girls A1 National Training Team Program

For several years before I started my Volleycats Elite club, while still laying the foundation for the type of volleyball club I wanted to create, I’d watch and take note as Division I, II and III college coaches who flew to Vegas for big tournament weekends would come to Stupak gym, where I held my City of Las Vegas trainings, to view the volleyball practices of visiting Hawaiian and Canadian teams who every year would rent Stupak gym for their 16s, 17s and 18s teams to practice before participating in Junior National Qualifiers, the Las Vegas Classic or other big tournaments hosted here in Vegas.

I knew that’s the kind of club I wanted to create.

A club with players who were

• strong enough
• battle tested and prepared
• serious enough to attract the attention of D1 collegiate coaches

so that when the time came, they would be physically, emotionally and mentally ready to be serious contenders for playing opportunities at the next level.

The time has come. 

Last week we had our first (of several who plan to come) Division I college coach come to watch our 17s practice here at Stupak. 

One of the first things she commented on when she was watching our 17s practice was that “she was very impressed with our travel schedule.” 

Although considered “extensive” and “grueling” to some club parents considering whether to sign with my Volleycats club before tryouts, I’ve received nothing but positive feedback from this collegiate coach and many others who applaud our “tough” schedule and confirm that this is what they are looking for…..road tested, emotionally, physically strong and tough minded athletes who are used to “the grind” the travelling every 1-2 weekends for 5-7 months, especially to California. 

Tehani (14) and Kami (16) setters on the Volleycats Elite Cougars 17s team.

Week in and week out we face

• distractions
• roadblocks
• referees who didn't respect Vegas volleyball as legit or on par with California volleyball players
• tough teams
• mental and physical adversities
• imperfect food
• uniform issues
• different meal times
• tough to sleep travel conditions and no mommy and daddy to bail us out on the court ….

THIS is what coaches want to know that athletes seeking to play at the next level have experienced...

while still

• competing hard
• showing heart
• maintaining focus on the court
• being a good supportive 'no drama' teammate
• making sacrifices, 
• keeping grades up, 
• managing their time and school and family commitments. 

This is the true life of a college bound volleyball student athlete. 

College coaches ARE NOT going to babysit kids.

If they plan on considering an athlete they are looking for players who can...

...travel on their own and still compete and play in favorable and sometimes unfavorable

• (with a fever,
• in cold gyms,
• early morning and late evening games,
• in front of crowds
• with the flu
• with period cramps)

conditions. 

Cougars Elite 16s Sydney Berenyi and Stanford setter Sophomore of the Year Kami Miner in Colorado Springs for the USA Volleyball High Performance Girls Select National A2 Invitational Program. Be an emotionally, physically and mentally tough coachable student athlete who can travel on their own and still compete and play in favorable and sometimes unfavorable conditions

I’ve asked Cougars Elite 17s players to email me a list of the coaches they have been talking to or are on their target lists of schools.

Players have been notified that they can use me in addition to their club team coaches as a reference to college coaches they are communicating with so they have several references they can use to advocate for them.  

Boot Camp class regulars Kami Miner and Danyale Berry always put in extra work between Volleycats Elite club practices. College volleyball recruiting tips -Be an emotionally, physically and mentally tough coachable student athlete who can travel on their own and still compete and play in favorable and sometimes unfavorable conditions.

Why do we push players to be prepared?

• To come to boot camp class?
• To do the homework?

Because this is what we’ve been preparing for.

To create an environment where college coaches not only can “discover” us at the “many” tournaments we participate in but they are interested enough to come to us...knowing that we now have talent that can play at the next level…that can potentially handle the pressures that come with being at the next level.

Mind you..I can not and will not risk the reputation of the club to promote a player...

• who isn’t doing the work
• who isn’t willing to make the sacrifices who isn’t giving 100% in practice
• who isn’t working to be a good teammate, who isn’t keeping up their grades
• who isn’t looking at this opportunity as one that means something

Would you?

Would you risk your reputation on someone who’s only giving 70%?

Now the question is…

• players...how have you prepared yourself for this moment up to now?
• Have you done the extra work?
• How have you practiced?
• Have you been 100% focused?
• Have you put in the extra time to do extra reps outside of team practice? 

“We are excited to find talent outside of California and it's amazing to have coaches we know and trust in areas to tap in to!!”

Christopher Duenow                                            --former Assistant Coach Concordia University-Irvine

If you are ready, then you’ve been practicing with heart, doing extra work, because you understand that being prepared will get you noticed.

Have you done the work?

Are you ready? 

Private or semiprivate volleyball indoor/sand lessons are an excellent way for young Las Vegas high school volleyball players to quickly improve their individual skills through a private or semi-private coaching experience. These lessons are conducted by former pro volleyball player, former USA Volleyball High Performance instructor and Evaluator and Tstreet Vegas 18s head Coach April Chapple on a weekly basis. Sign up now!

Follow me on Instagram @coach_apchap to improve your game even faster!

I share alot of individual, partner and easy-to-do volleyball serving drills we do in class with my followers.

Many of these volleyball practice drills you can do at home by yourself or try at your next practice with your teammates.

If you're a B team or JV player trying to make varsity next year...your goal should be to complete 1000 reps a day of at least three of the basic skills on your own...volleyball passing, serving and setting should be at the top of the list. 

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