Club volleyball 101

[Anonymous]

Help me, DCUM vb families! Please be kind. This tryout was on a whim and the offer has an expensive price tag.

Background - we’ve been a soccer club family. One DD is ECNL so we are used to the commitment, costs and travel, and know who the good clubs and teams are and generally what the future looks like.

One daughter (u14) landed a spot on a local vb club’s national team (not DC). Looking at the tournament schedule, it looks like they have 9 tournaments, up and down the east coast and Puerto Rico.

My question-

are there any national rankings for clubs? I have no clue about the quality of the club, director, coaches, etc.

What are the best tournaments? Hoping to gauge how good we might be based on tournaments we are accepted into.

Are there leagues or regions? We are used to weekly play in soccer leagues with advancement to playoffs, but with all VB tournaments it seems more difficult to gauge how strong this club is.

Are college commitments typically posted?

And, finally, I always envisioned volleyball as a sport of 6’+ tall women. Is there really any chance for high level competition for a girl who is 5’10”?

Thanks and I apologize for my completely basic questions. We weren’t expecting a spot on this team and now need to make a decision.

[Anonymous]

Here are the rankings:
https://www.advancedeventsystems.com/rankings/Female/U14/aes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And, finally, I always envisioned volleyball as a sport of 6’+ tall women. Is there really any chance for high level competition for a girl who is 5’10”?

My DD is 5'2" and plays club because it is competitive and fun. We have no dreams of making a college team (we don't care for all the recruitment that a lot of clubs seem to advertise). We pay (quite a bit and sometimes it seems too much) for the health benefits and to keep her off screens at least once in a while.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the best tournaments? Hoping to gauge how good we might be based on tournaments we are accepted into.

You don't get to pick tournaments one by one. They come as a package based on what team you end up in. More competitive teams go to more competitive tournaments, including qualifiers.

There are clubs who are too ambitious in terms of travel (in my opinion). For example, one of the clubs that just popped up on the DMV scene, plans to take their teams to multiple qualifiers. I am curious how this plan will turn out because I doubt their teams are going to be competitive enough for that type of schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Help me, DCUM vb families! Please be kind. This tryout was on a whim and the offer has an expensive price tag.

Background - we’ve been a soccer club family. One DD is ECNL so we are used to the commitment, costs and travel, and know who the good clubs and teams are and generally what the future looks like.

One daughter (u14) landed a spot on a local vb club’s national team (not DC). Looking at the tournament schedule, it looks like they have 9 tournaments, up and down the east coast and Puerto Rico.

My question-

are there any national rankings for clubs? I have no clue about the quality of the club, director, coaches, etc.

What are the best tournaments? Hoping to gauge how good we might be based on tournaments we are accepted into.

Are there leagues or regions? We are used to weekly play in soccer leagues with advancement to playoffs, but with all VB tournaments it seems more difficult to gauge how strong this club is.

Are college commitments typically posted?

And, finally, I always envisioned volleyball as a sport of 6’+ tall women. Is there really any chance for high level competition for a girl who is 5’10”?

Thanks and I apologize for my completely basic questions. We weren’t expecting a spot on this team and now need to make a decision.

What club?

You sure your daughter is done growing? Another inch or two can make a huge difference.
If you are college recruitment a good rule of thumb is that if your daughter can touch the rim of a basketball hoop, she is recruitable if she has the skills.
You can improve jump height with plyometric training.

There are some 5'10 hitters at great schools but most girls that height are setters or liberos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the best tournaments? Hoping to gauge how good we might be based on tournaments we are accepted into.

You don't get to pick tournaments one by one. They come as a package based on what team you end up in. More competitive teams go to more competitive tournaments, including qualifiers.

There are clubs who are too ambitious in terms of travel (in my opinion). For example, one of the clubs that just popped up on the DMV scene, plans to take their teams to multiple qualifiers. I am curious how this plan will turn out because I doubt their teams are going to be competitive enough for that type of schedule.

Thank you!! Stupid question- qualifiers for what? Is there a single national championship tournament? Our list of tournaments ends with AAU in Florida in June ‘if accepted’.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Help me, DCUM vb families! Please be kind. This tryout was on a whim and the offer has an expensive price tag.

Background - we’ve been a soccer club family. One DD is ECNL so we are used to the commitment, costs and travel, and know who the good clubs and teams are and generally what the future looks like.

One daughter (u14) landed a spot on a local vb club’s national team (not DC). Looking at the tournament schedule, it looks like they have 9 tournaments, up and down the east coast and Puerto Rico.

My question-

are there any national rankings for clubs? I have no clue about the quality of the club, director, coaches, etc.

What are the best tournaments? Hoping to gauge how good we might be based on tournaments we are accepted into.

Are there leagues or regions? We are used to weekly play in soccer leagues with advancement to playoffs, but with all VB tournaments it seems more difficult to gauge how strong this club is.

Are college commitments typically posted?

And, finally, I always envisioned volleyball as a sport of 6’+ tall women. Is there really any chance for high level competition for a girl who is 5’10”?

Thanks and I apologize for my completely basic questions. We weren’t expecting a spot on this team and now need to make a decision.

What club?

You sure your daughter is done growing? Another inch or two can make a huge difference.
If you are college recruitment a good rule of thumb is that if your daughter can touch the rim of a basketball hoop, she is recruitable if she has the skills.
You can improve jump height with plyometric training.

There are some 5'10 hitters at great schools but most girls that height are setters or liberos.

Thank you! She’s still growing (she’s got significant scoliosis so her ortho took an X-ray of her growth plates in August). I’ve got no clue on the position they envision her playing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the best tournaments? Hoping to gauge how good we might be based on tournaments we are accepted into.

You don't get to pick tournaments one by one. They come as a package based on what team you end up in. More competitive teams go to more competitive tournaments, including qualifiers.

There are clubs who are too ambitious in terms of travel (in my opinion). For example, one of the clubs that just popped up on the DMV scene, plans to take their teams to multiple qualifiers. I am curious how this plan will turn out because I doubt their teams are going to be competitive enough for that type of schedule.

Thank you!! Stupid question- qualifiers for what? Is there a single national championship tournament? Our list of tournaments ends with AAU in Florida in June ‘if accepted’.

AAU Nationals is for everyone, you don't need to qualify. The qualifiers are for the USAV Nationals, which will be in Dallas. Only the top teams in the area will make it. If your DD is new to volleyball, I would be surprised to see her team in Dallas. They probably go to the qualifiers for the sake of going to qualifiers, knowing they will be crushed. That's likely why your season ends with the AAU Nationals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the best tournaments? Hoping to gauge how good we might be based on tournaments we are accepted into.

You don't get to pick tournaments one by one. They come as a package based on what team you end up in. More competitive teams go to more competitive tournaments, including qualifiers.

There are clubs who are too ambitious in terms of travel (in my opinion). For example, one of the clubs that just popped up on the DMV scene, plans to take their teams to multiple qualifiers. I am curious how this plan will turn out because I doubt their teams are going to be competitive enough for that type of schedule.

Thank you!! Stupid question- qualifiers for what? Is there a single national championship tournament? Our list of tournaments ends with AAU in Florida in June ‘if accepted’.

AAU Nationals is for everyone, you don't need to qualify. The qualifiers are for the USAV Nationals, which will be in Dallas. Only the top teams in the area will make it. If your DD is new to volleyball, I would be surprised to see her team in Dallas. They probably go to the qualifiers for the sake of going to qualifiers, knowing they will be crushed. That's likely why your season ends with the AAU Nationals.

Aah, thank you!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the best tournaments? Hoping to gauge how good we might be based on tournaments we are accepted into.

You don't get to pick tournaments one by one. They come as a package based on what team you end up in. More competitive teams go to more competitive tournaments, including qualifiers.

There are clubs who are too ambitious in terms of travel (in my opinion). For example, one of the clubs that just popped up on the DMV scene, plans to take their teams to multiple qualifiers. I am curious how this plan will turn out because I doubt their teams are going to be competitive enough for that type of schedule.

Thank you!! Stupid question- qualifiers for what? Is there a single national championship tournament? Our list of tournaments ends with AAU in Florida in June ‘if accepted’.

AAU Nationals is for everyone, you don't need to qualify. The qualifiers are for the USAV Nationals, which will be in Dallas. Only the top teams in the area will make it. If your DD is new to volleyball, I would be surprised to see her team in Dallas. They probably go to the qualifiers for the sake of going to qualifiers, knowing they will be crushed. That's likely why your season ends with the AAU Nationals.

Thank you again for this info. Looks like the club ranks around 15-30 for our region of about 80 teams (New England). So decent and highly dependent on age/team. Seems to be the best around without driving 1+hours.

Appreciate the comments from all. Should be a fun season.