Volleyball club- recap and thoughts

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For anybody whose DD attended Metro or Paramount tryouts this season (or any of the other more competitive clubs that are a step down from those two), how did the tryout process go there? Just trying to prepare myself for next season when I know my kid is inevitably going to want to tryout for those two clubs.

We tried out for Metro Central and East. We're a new family to this as well. We didn't know that Metro was a "top" club. We just picked the clubs that were closest to our house. Traffic and logistics in this area are a nightmare. IMO the Sunday Nov. 5th tryout was a disaster. There were 100 girls in a small gym all trying out for 4 different teams at the same time. How you can evaluate players under those conditions I have no idea. Based upon what I've learned from this thread, to prepare for next years club tryouts; make sure she's playing in HS, participate in the club's camps and clinics, and email the coaches ahead of time to see how many open roster spots they anticipate having and what positions. No need in wasting time and money if they already have an idea of who's going to make club. If they are honest with you they may be forthcoming with that information. I know some will argue that clubs aren't preselected but this was my experience. Perhaps not all 12 positions but certainly some offers will have already been extended and some will have been promoted up from the previous age tier.

Let's be honest. For Metro Travel... if your daughter is NOT on a competitive (public or private school) HS varsity team as a freshman or sophomore (not bench warmer) they don't have a chance at playing for Metro Travel.

Nobody cares about HS in club volleyball world. Some of the best metro players of the past 10 yrs are on dire HS teams.

Agreed - the reason some high school teams are so good (e.g., Flint Hill, Holy Cross, O'Connell) is because they have many players who play on highly competitive club teams, not they other way around. The fact that these players are on a good high school team has no impact on what club team they play on.

As more private high school recruit to maintain the high level of volleyball play, the less chance for girls new to the sport wanting to break into volleyball in high school. A new player would end up on the bench if she makes the team and won't get the game touches she needs to get better. Unless you play for Metro Travel, would not send my DD to Flint Hill. O'Connell's head coach recruit heavily but at least Catholic school is a bit cheaper than FH. Holy Cross's head coach is know for developing players....he coach 12U at MVSA and is very good for fundamentals......

Which private schools are recruiting for volleyball? You must mean the Catholic league? The ISL standard of play is appalling and ironically the best HS team on the east coast (Flint Hill) is in that league, which can’t be a whole lot of fun for them. I watched some games last year and there were multiple brilliant players, now playing at college, who never saw the ball because the passing was so grim. All theses schools are focused on lacrosse, basketball or soccer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For anybody whose DD attended Metro or Paramount tryouts this season (or any of the other more competitive clubs that are a step down from those two), how did the tryout process go there? Just trying to prepare myself for next season when I know my kid is inevitably going to want to tryout for those two clubs.

We tried out for Metro Central and East. We're a new family to this as well. We didn't know that Metro was a "top" club. We just picked the clubs that were closest to our house. Traffic and logistics in this area are a nightmare. IMO the Sunday Nov. 5th tryout was a disaster. There were 100 girls in a small gym all trying out for 4 different teams at the same time. How you can evaluate players under those conditions I have no idea. Based upon what I've learned from this thread, to prepare for next years club tryouts; make sure she's playing in HS, participate in the club's camps and clinics, and email the coaches ahead of time to see how many open roster spots they anticipate having and what positions. No need in wasting time and money if they already have an idea of who's going to make club. If they are honest with you they may be forthcoming with that information. I know some will argue that clubs aren't preselected but this was my experience. Perhaps not all 12 positions but certainly some offers will have already been extended and some will have been promoted up from the previous age tier.

Let's be honest. For Metro Travel... if your daughter is NOT on a competitive (public or private school) HS varsity team as a freshman or sophomore (not bench warmer) they don't have a chance at playing for Metro Travel.

Nobody cares about HS in club volleyball world. Some of the best metro players of the past 10 yrs are on dire HS teams.

Agreed - the reason some high school teams are so good (e.g., Flint Hill, Holy Cross, O'Connell) is because they have many players who play on highly competitive club teams, not they other way around. The fact that these players are on a good high school team has no impact on what club team they play on.

As more private high school recruit to maintain the high level of volleyball play, the less chance for girls new to the sport wanting to break into volleyball in high school. A new player would end up on the bench if she makes the team and won't get the game touches she needs to get better. Unless you play for Metro Travel, would not send my DD to Flint Hill. O'Connell's head coach recruit heavily but at least Catholic school is a bit cheaper than FH. Holy Cross's head coach is know for developing players....he coach 12U at MVSA and is very good for fundamentals......

Which private school recruit for volleyball? Flint Hill seems to attract metro players but I don’t know if they get recruited. Bullis has grown their program but I don’t know if it’s active recruitment. I think Holy Cross might do recruiting. Schools like GDS, Sidwell, Holton, etc not recruiting for volleyball.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For anybody whose DD attended Metro or Paramount tryouts this season (or any of the other more competitive clubs that are a step down from those two), how did the tryout process go there? Just trying to prepare myself for next season when I know my kid is inevitably going to want to tryout for those two clubs.

We tried out for Metro Central and East. We're a new family to this as well. We didn't know that Metro was a "top" club. We just picked the clubs that were closest to our house. Traffic and logistics in this area are a nightmare. IMO the Sunday Nov. 5th tryout was a disaster. There were 100 girls in a small gym all trying out for 4 different teams at the same time. How you can evaluate players under those conditions I have no idea. Based upon what I've learned from this thread, to prepare for next years club tryouts; make sure she's playing in HS, participate in the club's camps and clinics, and email the coaches ahead of time to see how many open roster spots they anticipate having and what positions. No need in wasting time and money if they already have an idea of who's going to make club. If they are honest with you they may be forthcoming with that information. I know some will argue that clubs aren't preselected but this was my experience. Perhaps not all 12 positions but certainly some offers will have already been extended and some will have been promoted up from the previous age tier.

Let's be honest. For Metro Travel... if your daughter is NOT on a competitive (public or private school) HS varsity team as a freshman or sophomore (not bench warmer) they don't have a chance at playing for Metro Travel.

Nobody cares about HS in club volleyball world. Some of the best metro players of the past 10 yrs are on dire HS teams.

Agreed - the reason some high school teams are so good (e.g., Flint Hill, Holy Cross, O'Connell) is because they have many players who play on highly competitive club teams, not they other way around. The fact that these players are on a good high school team has no impact on what club team they play on.

As more private high school recruit to maintain the high level of volleyball play, the less chance for girls new to the sport wanting to break into volleyball in high school. A new player would end up on the bench if she makes the team and won't get the game touches she needs to get better. Unless you play for Metro Travel, would not send my DD to Flint Hill. O'Connell's head coach recruit heavily but at least Catholic school is a bit cheaper than FH. Holy Cross's head coach is know for developing players....he coach 12U at MVSA and is very good for fundamentals......

Which private schools are recruiting for volleyball? You must mean the Catholic league? The ISL standard of play is appalling and ironically the best HS team on the east coast (Flint Hill) is in that league, which can’t be a whole lot of fun for them. I watched some games last year and there were multiple brilliant players, now playing at college, who never saw the ball because the passing was so grim. All theses schools are focused on lacrosse, basketball or soccer.

Three ISL teams (Flint Hill, Bullis, and GDS) spent all season in the Washington Post top 10 for volleyball (GDS just won the DC championship by sweeping all three of their opponents). There is a drop-off after that to Visitation, Potomac, and a couple others, but the upper division of the ISL is far from "appalling," and a couple of the lower division teams are at least competitive. All of the private schools recruit one way or another. The Catholic schools are more open about it, but the ISL schools recruit too (and not just Flint Hill, who always seems to get 2-3 studs as freshmen who didn't go there for middle school).

[FPYCparent]

Per https://www.dmvelitevbc.org/, DMV Elite is still looking to fill a few slots. Tryouts today (Tuesday, Nov. 14th) and Thursday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For anybody whose DD attended Metro or Paramount tryouts this season (or any of the other more competitive clubs that are a step down from those two), how did the tryout process go there? Just trying to prepare myself for next season when I know my kid is inevitably going to want to tryout for those two clubs.

We tried out for Metro Central and East. We're a new family to this as well. We didn't know that Metro was a "top" club. We just picked the clubs that were closest to our house. Traffic and logistics in this area are a nightmare. IMO the Sunday Nov. 5th tryout was a disaster. There were 100 girls in a small gym all trying out for 4 different teams at the same time. How you can evaluate players under those conditions I have no idea. Based upon what I've learned from this thread, to prepare for next years club tryouts; make sure she's playing in HS, participate in the club's camps and clinics, and email the coaches ahead of time to see how many open roster spots they anticipate having and what positions. No need in wasting time and money if they already have an idea of who's going to make club. If they are honest with you they may be forthcoming with that information. I know some will argue that clubs aren't preselected but this was my experience. Perhaps not all 12 positions but certainly some offers will have already been extended and some will have been promoted up from the previous age tier.

Let's be honest. For Metro Travel... if your daughter is NOT on a competitive (public or private school) HS varsity team as a freshman or sophomore (not bench warmer) they don't have a chance at playing for Metro Travel.

Nobody cares about HS in club volleyball world. Some of the best metro players of the past 10 yrs are on dire HS teams.

Agreed - the reason some high school teams are so good (e.g., Flint Hill, Holy Cross, O'Connell) is because they have many players who play on highly competitive club teams, not they other way around. The fact that these players are on a good high school team has no impact on what club team they play on.

As more private high school recruit to maintain the high level of volleyball play, the less chance for girls new to the sport wanting to break into volleyball in high school. A new player would end up on the bench if she makes the team and won't get the game touches she needs to get better. Unless you play for Metro Travel, would not send my DD to Flint Hill. O'Connell's head coach recruit heavily but at least Catholic school is a bit cheaper than FH. Holy Cross's head coach is know for developing players....he coach 12U at MVSA and is very good for fundamentals......

Which private schools are recruiting for volleyball? You must mean the Catholic league? The ISL standard of play is appalling and ironically the best HS team on the east coast (Flint Hill) is in that league, which can’t be a whole lot of fun for them. I watched some games last year and there were multiple brilliant players, now playing at college, who never saw the ball because the passing was so grim. All theses schools are focused on lacrosse, basketball or soccer.

Three ISL teams (Flint Hill, Bullis, and GDS) spent all season in the Washington Post top 10 for volleyball (GDS just won the DC championship by sweeping all three of their opponents). There is a drop-off after that to Visitation, Potomac, and a couple others, but the upper division of the ISL is far from "appalling," and a couple of the lower division teams are at least competitive. All of the private schools recruit one way or another. The Catholic schools are more open about it, but the ISL schools recruit too (and not just Flint Hill, who always seems to get 2-3 studs as freshmen who didn't go there for middle school).

I’m sorry but GDS and Bullis may be good for the ISL but they’d get their a** handed to them by any mid ranking HS team. And please, the DC championship…..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For anybody whose DD attended Metro or Paramount tryouts this season (or any of the other more competitive clubs that are a step down from those two), how did the tryout process go there? Just trying to prepare myself for next season when I know my kid is inevitably going to want to tryout for those two clubs.

We tried out for Metro Central and East. We're a new family to this as well. We didn't know that Metro was a "top" club. We just picked the clubs that were closest to our house. Traffic and logistics in this area are a nightmare. IMO the Sunday Nov. 5th tryout was a disaster. There were 100 girls in a small gym all trying out for 4 different teams at the same time. How you can evaluate players under those conditions I have no idea. Based upon what I've learned from this thread, to prepare for next years club tryouts; make sure she's playing in HS, participate in the club's camps and clinics, and email the coaches ahead of time to see how many open roster spots they anticipate having and what positions. No need in wasting time and money if they already have an idea of who's going to make club. If they are honest with you they may be forthcoming with that information. I know some will argue that clubs aren't preselected but this was my experience. Perhaps not all 12 positions but certainly some offers will have already been extended and some will have been promoted up from the previous age tier.

Let's be honest. For Metro Travel... if your daughter is NOT on a competitive (public or private school) HS varsity team as a freshman or sophomore (not bench warmer) they don't have a chance at playing for Metro Travel.

Nobody cares about HS in club volleyball world. Some of the best metro players of the past 10 yrs are on dire HS teams.

Agreed - the reason some high school teams are so good (e.g., Flint Hill, Holy Cross, O'Connell) is because they have many players who play on highly competitive club teams, not they other way around. The fact that these players are on a good high school team has no impact on what club team they play on.

As more private high school recruit to maintain the high level of volleyball play, the less chance for girls new to the sport wanting to break into volleyball in high school. A new player would end up on the bench if she makes the team and won't get the game touches she needs to get better. Unless you play for Metro Travel, would not send my DD to Flint Hill. O'Connell's head coach recruit heavily but at least Catholic school is a bit cheaper than FH. Holy Cross's head coach is know for developing players....he coach 12U at MVSA and is very good for fundamentals......

Which private schools are recruiting for volleyball? You must mean the Catholic league? The ISL standard of play is appalling and ironically the best HS team on the east coast (Flint Hill) is in that league, which can’t be a whole lot of fun for them. I watched some games last year and there were multiple brilliant players, now playing at college, who never saw the ball because the passing was so grim. All theses schools are focused on lacrosse, basketball or soccer.

Three ISL teams (Flint Hill, Bullis, and GDS) spent all season in the Washington Post top 10 for volleyball (GDS just won the DC championship by sweeping all three of their opponents). There is a drop-off after that to Visitation, Potomac, and a couple others, but the upper division of the ISL is far from "appalling," and a couple of the lower division teams are at least competitive. All of the private schools recruit one way or another. The Catholic schools are more open about it, but the ISL schools recruit too (and not just Flint Hill, who always seems to get 2-3 studs as freshmen who didn't go there for middle school).

Uh, the lower division, ie the A league has a couple of competitive teams? You can’t be serious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For anybody whose DD attended Metro or Paramount tryouts this season (or any of the other more competitive clubs that are a step down from those two), how did the tryout process go there? Just trying to prepare myself for next season when I know my kid is inevitably going to want to tryout for those two clubs.

We tried out for Metro Central and East. We're a new family to this as well. We didn't know that Metro was a "top" club. We just picked the clubs that were closest to our house. Traffic and logistics in this area are a nightmare. IMO the Sunday Nov. 5th tryout was a disaster. There were 100 girls in a small gym all trying out for 4 different teams at the same time. How you can evaluate players under those conditions I have no idea. Based upon what I've learned from this thread, to prepare for next years club tryouts; make sure she's playing in HS, participate in the club's camps and clinics, and email the coaches ahead of time to see how many open roster spots they anticipate having and what positions. No need in wasting time and money if they already have an idea of who's going to make club. If they are honest with you they may be forthcoming with that information. I know some will argue that clubs aren't preselected but this was my experience. Perhaps not all 12 positions but certainly some offers will have already been extended and some will have been promoted up from the previous age tier.

Let's be honest. For Metro Travel... if your daughter is NOT on a competitive (public or private school) HS varsity team as a freshman or sophomore (not bench warmer) they don't have a chance at playing for Metro Travel.

Nobody cares about HS in club volleyball world. Some of the best metro players of the past 10 yrs are on dire HS teams.

Agreed - the reason some high school teams are so good (e.g., Flint Hill, Holy Cross, O'Connell) is because they have many players who play on highly competitive club teams, not they other way around. The fact that these players are on a good high school team has no impact on what club team they play on.

As more private high school recruit to maintain the high level of volleyball play, the less chance for girls new to the sport wanting to break into volleyball in high school. A new player would end up on the bench if she makes the team and won't get the game touches she needs to get better. Unless you play for Metro Travel, would not send my DD to Flint Hill. O'Connell's head coach recruit heavily but at least Catholic school is a bit cheaper than FH. Holy Cross's head coach is know for developing players....he coach 12U at MVSA and is very good for fundamentals......

Which private schools are recruiting for volleyball? You must mean the Catholic league? The ISL standard of play is appalling and ironically the best HS team on the east coast (Flint Hill) is in that league, which can’t be a whole lot of fun for them. I watched some games last year and there were multiple brilliant players, now playing at college, who never saw the ball because the passing was so grim. All theses schools are focused on lacrosse, basketball or soccer.

Three ISL teams (Flint Hill, Bullis, and GDS) spent all season in the Washington Post top 10 for volleyball (GDS just won the DC championship by sweeping all three of their opponents). There is a drop-off after that to Visitation, Potomac, and a couple others, but the upper division of the ISL is far from "appalling," and a couple of the lower division teams are at least competitive. All of the private schools recruit one way or another. The Catholic schools are more open about it, but the ISL schools recruit too (and not just Flint Hill, who always seems to get 2-3 studs as freshmen who didn't go there for middle school).

I’m sorry but GDS and Bullis may be good for the ISL but they’d get their a** handed to them by any mid ranking HS team. And please, the DC championship…..

I don't know, both of them handled good public schools pretty easily according to their MaxPreps schedules. Bullis swept 18-4 Oxon Hill, and GDS did the same to Jackson-Reed (22-3) and Wootton (5-2 with a lot missing on MP). Both schools have a bunch of high-level club players.

[Anonymous]

According to their record, Holy Cross is the only true elite HS volleyball program this year. They beat all the “top” teams this year with an undefeated season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:According to their record, Holy Cross is the only true elite HS volleyball program this year. They beat all the “top” teams this year with an undefeated season.

And they would lose pretty comprehensively to the top 5 club teams

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's no question that HS and club volleyball are connected in some ways. Certainly many HS coaches also coach club, and will encourage their players to play club, perhaps even at the club or on the team that they coach. I think the reason that 15s and 16s tend to be the age groups with the highest number of teams is that when girls make the 9th grade or JV team for their high school, the coaches tell them that if they want to increase the likelihood that they will make varsity next year they need to play club.

That said, earlier in this thread it was stated that

Let's be honest. For Metro Travel... if your daughter is NOT on a competitive (public or private school) HS varsity team as a freshman or sophomore (not bench warmer) they don't have a chance at playing for Metro Travel.

I agree that if your DD is good enough to make Metro Travel or Paramount, then they are good enough to make (and probably play) at almost any local HS as a freshman or sophomore, and conversely if they didn't make varsity as a freshman/sophomore then they likely won't make these teams either. But I don't think the performance of their HS school team has much (if any) bearing on whether they make these club teams or not. As has been said there are plenty of Metro Travel and Paramount players on not great HS teams.

As has been stated previously, HS vball is not relevant to club or college. There are plenty of top tier club players representing dreadful HS teams. Similarly, probably the most dominant local HS team of the past few years, only had 2 top tier players (one playing out of position) and a bunch of low tier players. There just isn’t the depth in the HS teams that you get in club. Not much point in having the best hitter in the DMV if the team can’t get the ball to them. If your kid’s not making a contribution to your HS team as a freshman (unless you’re at Flint Hill) your chances of making the top 5-6 clubs in the region are zero.

You don’t win state championships in the big school classification in VA with low tier players starting. Insulting to those girls and also ignorant to say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's no question that HS and club volleyball are connected in some ways. Certainly many HS coaches also coach club, and will encourage their players to play club, perhaps even at the club or on the team that they coach. I think the reason that 15s and 16s tend to be the age groups with the highest number of teams is that when girls make the 9th grade or JV team for their high school, the coaches tell them that if they want to increase the likelihood that they will make varsity next year they need to play club.

That said, earlier in this thread it was stated that

Let's be honest. For Metro Travel... if your daughter is NOT on a competitive (public or private school) HS varsity team as a freshman or sophomore (not bench warmer) they don't have a chance at playing for Metro Travel.

I agree that if your DD is good enough to make Metro Travel or Paramount, then they are good enough to make (and probably play) at almost any local HS as a freshman or sophomore, and conversely if they didn't make varsity as a freshman/sophomore then they likely won't make these teams either. But I don't think the performance of their HS school team has much (if any) bearing on whether they make these club teams or not. As has been said there are plenty of Metro Travel and Paramount players on not great HS teams.

As has been stated previously, HS vball is not relevant to club or college. There are plenty of top tier club players representing dreadful HS teams. Similarly, probably the most dominant local HS team of the past few years, only had 2 top tier players (one playing out of position) and a bunch of low tier players. There just isn’t the depth in the HS teams that you get in club. Not much point in having the best hitter in the DMV if the team can’t get the ball to them. If your kid’s not making a contribution to your HS team as a freshman (unless you’re at Flint Hill) your chances of making the top 5-6 clubs in the region are zero.

You don’t win state championships in the big school classification in VA with low tier players starting. Insulting to those girls and also ignorant to say.

How many of that team are playing in college? My point was not to disparage those girls, that was an amazing couple of years, my point was around the weakness of HS volleyball.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:According to their record, Holy Cross is the only true elite HS volleyball program this year. They beat all the “top” teams this year with an undefeated season.

And they would lose pretty comprehensively to the top 5 club teams

In all fairness, Emmi Sellman would get pretty worn out trying to play on both sides of the net at the same time.

[Anonymous]

Well I think all the seniors who started on Colgan and Alexandria last year went to play volleyball in college. As far as the younger players assume still deciding what to do, but if you decide to not go to a lower tier Div 1 or Div 2/3 school to play volleyball does not mean you are a low tier player. You may want to go to the college of your choice for your eventual career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For anybody whose DD attended Metro or Paramount tryouts this season (or any of the other more competitive clubs that are a step down from those two), how did the tryout process go there? Just trying to prepare myself for next season when I know my kid is inevitably going to want to tryout for those two clubs.

Unless your kid is being recruited by those clubs, they have zero chance of making it. Best thing is to be the superstar on their current team and maybe, you’ll get an informal chat

OMG STOP WITH THIS MISINFORMATION! We're 3 years in, we'll see if it changes but so far we ourselves have experienced and know SEVERAL GIRLS who have NOT done clinics... NOT played on teams beforehand (Metro is the club I'm talking the most of here)... and therefore NOT been known to coaches or club staff before tryouts, and our girls and some of their friends GOT OFFERS for U13-U16 so far (not all the girls we know, but some, enough to make it seem common to all of us).

I'm so glad we didn't hear anyone say what you're saying, or we might not have tried for Metro and 2 other next level clubs (very competitive but not Metro or Paramount) and gotten offers at them all. And none of my girls are over 5'7", and mostly they were 5'5" or 5'4" when trying out the 1st 2 yrs.

My advice to new parents: be realistic, if your girl really is brand new to it all, definitely no point in trying out for the better clubs. Ask here which clubs develop girls even if not as competitive and try out. But if your girl has been playing and plays well in school or in her previous club she did well, even if the club wasn't great, try out, go for Metro, Paramount, whoever you think is best fit plus of course 2+ lower level clubs to have a back up just in case.

NONE of this guarantees your girl(s) will get offers, but keep listening to other parents' experiences and talk to coaches and feel it out. It is just not true, in our and our girls' friends' experiences, that Metro and many of the other clubs here pre-offer, pre-select their rosters or all the upper age rosters. I don't know anything about Mojo so I believe they do, but 3 yrs now our girls have played for good or top clubs that they tried out for cold and got offers for. And yes, they're good, but they're not outrageously exceptional or anything. Nor are they super tall Amazons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


I think it all depends on the club. For lower and mid clubs like Vienna Elite second and third teams will not preselect. For first teams maybe a few.
Same with mojo pink teams, Loudoun elite, etc. The preselect comes in play with top teams like Metro Travel, Paramount, and VA Juniors.

I wouldn’t consider Vienna Elite a “lower or mid club.” Their 1s teams are quite competitive.

They’re precisely a Midtier club in my view

What else is considered “Midtier” vs “lower” club? I don’t agree with this categorization either.

Simplest way to explain the hierarchy:

Metro Travel and Paramount

Competitive, but not Metro Travel/Paramount: VAE, VAJrs., MDJrs, Blue Ridge, MVSA (good at younger age groups)

Mid-Tier: EC Power (MOJO now, I guess), MOCO, Vienna Elite, and several others

Low-Tier: anybody not named above


Anybody else not named above would be considered low tier

You're just adding to the confusion though if you don't clarify that you're talking Travel teams for ALL of these "categorizations". There are SO MANY parents on these volleyball threads that are just looking for their daughters to play for a club (regional, NOT travel) and get experience, get better, see how intense they want to get with playing.

Even if there are not always clear lines between "Club", "Regional", and Travel, you still have to be clear as you can about who YOU are talking about. Majority of newer families are NOT trying to jump into the deepest end of the pool right away with travel, plus it's highly unlikely their newer player will be asked unless they're super tall.