volleyball club tryout in MoCo

[Anonymous]

hello all,

we are new to this area, and DD just turned 14 and is interested in trying out for volleyball clubs in MoCo. She has about one year experience and plan to try u14 age group and this will be our first time trying out for volleyball club.

please help us navigate the club scene in this area, the competitiveness of the club and coach for this age group, the game time if selected (is game time only for the best players on the team when it comes to game day?), anything else we should think about when it comes to trying out and deciding on club?

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Go to as many pre-tryout clinics as you can to get a feel for the club

MVSA (upper Mont county) - small teams (only 10 girls) and lot of play time, mid competitive, inexpensive, 3 teams in your age group; volunteer coaches (most local HS coaches)
MoCo - small club, practice in Potomac/Bethesda/CC area, mid competitive, may only have 1-2 teams per age group
Metro North (near Frederick) - competitive but not like Metro travel, good coaches
Metro Central (near DC) - mid competitive, did not have a season last year due to COVID
VA Elite (McLean) - good training, they love tall girls; struggles to try to play in open level competition

Good luck

[Anonymous]

thanks for the info. it’s super helpful.

what is a typical volleyball tryout like? we haven’t done one before. What should we be expecting?

[Anonymous]

The truth is that many clubs already have many positions slotted with potential players (either returning players or players that have attended clinics).

So the tryout process is actually the clinics and tryout date. So try to go to some clinics and talk to the coaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:thanks for the info. it’s super helpful.

what is a typical volleyball tryout like? we haven’t done one before. What should we be expecting?

Go to the pre-tryout prep clinics at the different clubs. Tryouts look and feel similar to clinics. Series of drills and small group play typically. Coaches really hope to see girls beforehand so that they can get a better sense of players vs just 1.5-2hrs where it may be a bad or good day for someone.

[Anonymous]

A few random thoughts:

You can search for clubs in our region by state here - http://www.chrvajuniors.org/juniors/contacts_clubs/clubs_search.cfm

Most clubs are finishing up their clinics this coming weekend. If your daughter hasn't been to any yet, try to get her to some ASAP. As a PP noted, many clubs have already pre-identified players they want as a result of who's been at their clinics.

Try to look for clubs that start at 14u. Many clubs have been playing since 12U or even younger. In a case like that, a team of 12 players doesn't really have 12 openings because at least half (or even more) of last year's players will probably be returning. If it's a newly forming team, there might be more opportunities.

If you're serious about her making a team, try to go to as many tryouts as possible. You'll see the same girls at different tryouts, but each girl can only accept 1 offer. Some players get multiple offers and they have several days to make a decision. Unless your daughter's a stellar player, she may not get an offer right away, but she could move up on waitlists by the middle of the week as girls with multiple offers start to turn down the clubs they aren't going to play for.

Tryouts themselves aren't bad, but tryout weekend can be a logistical nightmare if you're trying to follow the strategy above. Try to stay sane.

Be sure you understand the time and financial commitment of each club before you accept any offer. Also understand that no one is guaranteed playing time in club volleyball. You could go to tournaments and watch your daughter spend a lot (or all) of the weekend on the bench.

Be clear about your goals. If all she wants to do is play in HS, maybe try to look into long-term rec leagues. If you don't want to make a big time or financial commitment, ask a club team whether she can be a practice player (lower fees, no travel). If she's an ok player who's not hoping to play in college, don't aim for top ranked clubs. If she's an outstanding player and her goal is to play D1 in college, be ready for an arms race for the next 4-5 years. Volleyball is fun, but the competition is intense. Colleges recruit from the clubs, not the high schools.

[Anonymous]

You might also look into East Coast Power Chesapeake as they will have teams at u14 practicing at GDS (Tenley) or McLean.

As for typical tryouts, they usually involve 1/2 or more of the time rotating through skills (serving, serve receive/passing, hitting/blocking, etc) and then the rest in some form of game play (6 on 6, 3 on 3, etc). Some clubs also do physical testing like measuring vertical jump, standing reach and the like. Most clubs contact players shortly after the tryout if they are at the top of the list. But offers can come days later, particularly at less competitive clubs, as they sort through their list of candidates. If your kid isn't getting offers by the Saturday of tryouts, you can sign up for more tryouts at other clubs on Sunday and the following days. You can also contact the club director or coaches and ask where you are on their list.

[Anonymous]

There’s also a Free Agents page sponsored by Virginia Elite that you can use if your daughter doesn’t make a team in the first day or 2 of tryouts - https://www.vaelite.com/free-agents
I don’t know how much it really gets used, but it’s worth a try.

[Anonymous]

thanks so much. this is very helpful.

Anonymous wrote:A few random thoughts:

You can search for clubs in our region by state here - http://www.chrvajuniors.org/juniors/contacts_clubs/clubs_search.cfm

Most clubs are finishing up their clinics this coming weekend. If your daughter hasn't been to any yet, try to get her to some ASAP. As a PP noted, many clubs have already pre-identified players they want as a result of who's been at their clinics.

Try to look for clubs that start at 14u. Many clubs have been playing since 12U or even younger. In a case like that, a team of 12 players doesn't really have 12 openings because at least half (or even more) of last year's players will probably be returning. If it's a newly forming team, there might be more opportunities.

If you're serious about her making a team, try to go to as many tryouts as possible. You'll see the same girls at different tryouts, but each girl can only accept 1 offer. Some players get multiple offers and they have several days to make a decision. Unless your daughter's a stellar player, she may not get an offer right away, but she could move up on waitlists by the middle of the week as girls with multiple offers start to turn down the clubs they aren't going to play for.

Tryouts themselves aren't bad, but tryout weekend can be a logistical nightmare if you're trying to follow the strategy above. Try to stay sane.

Be sure you understand the time and financial commitment of each club before you accept any offer. Also understand that no one is guaranteed playing time in club volleyball. You could go to tournaments and watch your daughter spend a lot (or all) of the weekend on the bench.

Be clear about your goals. If all she wants to do is play in HS, maybe try to look into long-term rec leagues. If you don't want to make a big time or financial commitment, ask a club team whether she can be a practice player (lower fees, no travel). If she's an ok player who's not hoping to play in college, don't aim for top ranked clubs. If she's an outstanding player and her goal is to play D1 in college, be ready for an arms race for the next 4-5 years. Volleyball is fun, but the competition is intense. Colleges recruit from the clubs, not the high schools.

[Anonymous]

OP here - thanks a lot everyone. This is very informative.