Volleyball club- recap and thoughts
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FPYCparent
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Former St. James parent (one year removed)
I found the previous St. James comment interesting. It almost makes you wonder if the boys teams use a completely different venue than the girls.  I will agree that the facility is phenomenal.
It is easy to look at the results for STJ girls teams and just say that they have never measured up to Metro/Paramount/etc. However, folks must realize that the same can be said for nearly ever other club not named Metro/Paramount. My kid made her HS varsity team after a year at STJ with no prior club experience. There are at least four former STJ players that are currently at Paramount. I'd say that that STJ is capable of drawing in talent. I just cannot speak for the current coaching staff, as my kid's coach is no longer there (he coached three of the four players now at Paramount). For what it is worth, one of the newer girls' coaches at STJ is also a current college-level (not NCAA) coach in the area. I have no basis of comparison for the boys' side. To me, the mere existence of a boys' program at STJ may immediately make them one of the best in the area given that there aren't any other programs that **I** am aware of. Nonetheless, I think one of the STJ boy's coaches is also the girls varsity head coach at Flint Hill. That's certainly a (good/great) statement that not many other clubs can offer an equivalent ... for girls or boys. |
Anonymous
Thank you for this detailed reply. My daughter is not interested in Paramount or Metro level but would like to be on a solid team where there is decent coaching and competitive play. She played on a regional team for a different club this past year and wants to try out for several clubs in the fall. At this point we are looking for any that have major red flags and to stay away. It sounds like St James could be good for her to attend tryouts. |
Anonymous
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St. James Girls Volleyball has major red flags.
3 current season head coaches quit DURING the season. That college level coach was encouraged to leave. Mandatory AAU Nationals unless bid is won for USAV Nationals. Business-centric over quality coaching. $5,300 for a social club, court time and generalized strength and conditioning. Uniform package not included. Pricey for what you get. |
Anonymous
Could you give recommendations for ones you would recommend? |
Anonymous
Our experience was similar - no real coaching, no real development and the “social hour” comment is spot on. |
Anonymous
The 16s from year before beat Paramount and almost Blue Ridge. They were really good but coaches did not come back and neither did 5 top players who played there for years when they met new coach. That new coach was then dismissed during season. Lack of stable coaching really hurts that program. |
FPYCparent
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| Wow. I guess things have changed a bit at The St. James. Sorry to hear that players and families had to endure that. |
Anonymous
| Add specific types of favoritism. |
Anonymous
| Wow big verbal commitments from metro 2026 year already?! My daughter is not from metro but I’m definitely seeing the recruiting power they have over other clubs. My daughter is not tall enough to join that club but was hoping to find something that can help her with her volleyball journey. We are still new to the area. |
Anonymous
Where is Academy located? |
Anonymous
| Platform is an up and coming club that shares venues with MVSA. Positive coaching and seems to have decent court IQ for CHRVA and for a smaller and newer club. |
Anonymous
Tryout for as many clubs as you can - getting onto a team is competitive so it's better to have a few options. It can be stressful and challenging to manage tryouts weekend, but that's the system that we're stuck with, unless something changes. While the CHRVA model isn't perfect, it's better than some other regions. North Texas tryouts happens right after Nationals (i.e., in a few weeks). And this year they changed their regional rules to allow for some pre-tryout recruiting following their regional tournament meaning players are already vying for spots for next season before this season is even over. https://ntrvolleyball.net/2023-tryout-information/ Academy practices in Montgomery County. The club director coached at MOCO before starting Academy and uses some of the same facilities as MOCO (North Chevy Chase Elementary, St. Andrews). Doesn't seem like Academy has teams at every age group but as a newer club, maybe they are planning more teams. I would put MEVC and Metro Central on the list of clubs to consider in Montgomery County for a player with not too much experience. Definitely sign up for fall clinics at the clubs you may tryout for - fall clinics allow the player/parents to get a sense of what the club is like and for the club to get to know a player before tryouts. |
Anonymous
Metro has a lot of very talented 2026 players so 16 Travel has gotten a lot of attention from college coaches. The 3-4 really tall/athletic/skilled players that coaches were coming to watch may have resulted in some of the other players on that team getting more looks than they might have on another team, even if they are not a starter or don't play much for Metro. They had tons of big time coaches coming to watch them practice so the whole team got exposure beyond tournaments. Not sure how tall your daughter is, but one of the outside hitters that committed from 16 Travel to a top 25 program isn't even 6 feet tall. She is incredibly explosive and athletic so she makes up for the lack of height. Being 6'2" isn't always a prerequisite to success in volleyball. Arkansas was led to the Elite 8 in the 2023 NCAA tournament by Jill Gillen, a 5'7" outside hitter. If you think your daughter is super talented at volleyball, don't assume she can't do big things just because she's not really tall. |
Anonymous
| Agreed. CD has been amazing player since her LE days. An incredibly hard worker with a strong work ethic. As a multi-year all around OH and starter she has earned her commitment and then some. |
Anonymous
| What people don’t realize is if you are super tall and athletic (that Metro 16 team has 6 or 7 players who are 6’2” or taller, and a couple who are 6’4”+), the club doesn’t even have to do anything for the recruiting. Those players could play on the worst club team in the area and they would still end up at those same schools. Those players are self-recruitable. For example, the player who committed to Baylor is 6’3” and touches 10’8”. There are probably only five athletes in the entire country with those metrics. This player could have played anywhere in the CHRVA Region and she still would have ended up at Baylor. This player also didn’t join Metro until her U15 season. Moreover, its important for parents to do their due diligence by checking who actually developed those kids when they commit, meaning did these kids who are committing play for a club since they were U13, or did they come over when they were in high school? The club that developed that player should get the credit for that player’s commitment/development. For example, the two best players on Metro’s 18s team this past season, a Georgia Tech commit and a PSU commit, were developed at other clubs and went over to Metro late. The PSU commit played for MVSA at U13-U14, and VAJRS for U15-U16. The GT commit played at Paramount from U12-U15. Who should get the credit for those players’ development? |