Volleyball club- recap and thoughts

[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]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Academy
MoCo
MVSA

For a Maryland 14 year old with about a year of rec experience.

Should she try out for all of them?

Where is Academy located?

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]

Anonymous wrote: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.

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?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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?

Lots of truth here. Players with certain physical attributes and athletic ability that can't be taught are going to be recruited regardless of who they play for. The 2025 PSU commit you mentioned is pushing 6'4" and is also incredibly athletic (in addition to getting lots of attention because of her parents' athletic achievements) and would likely have been noticed regardless of what club she played for (although you missed her 12s year that she played for Metro Central).

As far as whether another club should get the "credit" for players who started at other clubs and end up at Metro either just before (or even after) they commit is kind of a flawed premise. Most volleyball players who start at age 10 or 11 will play for several clubs over the course of their club careers. If they are a CHRVA player and are exceptional or recognized as having a lot of potential, they often end up on a Metro Travel or Paramount team. Over the course of the 6+ years that many of these recruited athletes play prior to being recruited and committing, they will likely have many coaches (club, high school, private lessons, etc.). It's the combination of all this coaching and experiences that help a player develop so I don't think it's realistic for a single person or entity (other than the player themselves) to take credit for the success. There are tons of great coaches and clubs that are training good volleyball players in our region and they don't always get the recognition they deserve, either because they coach younger kids or because their club isn't as competitive and their best players go elsewhere at some point.

Of course all of these clubs are small businesses that want to use the successes of their athletes as a promotional tool, so it's not surprising to see clubs proudly announcing when one of their players commits. But I agree, it's not really accurate for Metro or Paramount to claim sole responsibility for a player's commitment. That said, for a variety of reasons the best players in CHRVA tend to end up at a handful of CHRVA clubs by about age 16 and when those players commit to play collegiately, those clubs will take credit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Academy
MoCo
MVSA

For a Maryland 14 year old with about a year of rec experience.

Should she try out for all of them?

This will probably be Academy first 14s team. Yes, she should try out for all, if timing permits. Might want to also look at MEVC, Platform and Metro Central.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Platform has been around for almost 15 years. I believe the founder was a cofounder of the original Metro (Metro American) with Barry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of truth here. Players with certain physical attributes and athletic ability that can't be taught are going to be recruited regardless of who they play for. The 2025 PSU commit you mentioned is pushing 6'4" and is also incredibly athletic (in addition to getting lots of attention because of her parents' athletic achievements) and would likely have been noticed regardless of what club she played for (although you missed her 12s year that she played for Metro Central).

As far as whether another club should get the "credit" for players who started at other clubs and end up at Metro either just before (or even after) they commit is kind of a flawed premise. Most volleyball players who start at age 10 or 11 will play for several clubs over the course of their club careers. If they are a CHRVA player and are exceptional or recognized as having a lot of potential, they often end up on a Metro Travel or Paramount team. Over the course of the 6+ years that many of these recruited athletes play prior to being recruited and committing, they will likely have many coaches (club, high school, private lessons, etc.). It's the combination of all this coaching and experiences that help a player develop so I don't think it's realistic for a single person or entity (other than the player themselves) to take credit for the success. There are tons of great coaches and clubs that are training good volleyball players in our region and they don't always get the recognition they deserve, either because they coach younger kids or because their club isn't as competitive and their best players go elsewhere at some point.

Of course all of these clubs are small businesses that want to use the successes of their athletes as a promotional tool, so it's not surprising to see clubs proudly announcing when one of their players commits. But I agree, it's not really accurate for Metro or Paramount to claim sole responsibility for a player's commitment. That said, for a variety of reasons the best players in CHRVA tend to end up at a handful of CHRVA clubs by about age 16 and when those players commit to play collegiately, those clubs will take credit.

+1 billion to all of this!

And many of these volleyball recruits have one or both parents who played college level or even professional sports. As a parent who did not play serious sports, I am consistently surprised by how much training and sacrifice (time, travel, emotional turmoil) go into high-level travel sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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?

Lots of truth here. Players with certain physical attributes and athletic ability that can't be taught are going to be recruited regardless of who they play for. The 2025 PSU commit you mentioned is pushing 6'4" and is also incredibly athletic (in addition to getting lots of attention because of her parents' athletic achievements) and would likely have been noticed regardless of what club she played for (although you missed her 12s year that she played for Metro Central).

As far as whether another club should get the "credit" for players who started at other clubs and end up at Metro either just before (or even after) they commit is kind of a flawed premise. Most volleyball players who start at age 10 or 11 will play for several clubs over the course of their club careers. If they are a CHRVA player and are exceptional or recognized as having a lot of potential, they often end up on a Metro Travel or Paramount team. Over the course of the 6+ years that many of these recruited athletes play prior to being recruited and committing, they will likely have many coaches (club, high school, private lessons, etc.). It's the combination of all this coaching and experiences that help a player develop so I don't think it's realistic for a single person or entity (other than the player themselves) to take credit for the success. There are tons of great coaches and clubs that are training good volleyball players in our region and they don't always get the recognition they deserve, either because they coach younger kids or because their club isn't as competitive and their best players go elsewhere at some point.

Of course all of these clubs are small businesses that want to use the successes of their athletes as a promotional tool, so it's not surprising to see clubs proudly announcing when one of their players commits. But I agree, it's not really accurate for Metro or Paramount to claim sole responsibility for a player's commitment. That said, for a variety of reasons the best players in CHRVA tend to end up at a handful of CHRVA clubs by about age 16 and when those players commit to play collegiately, those clubs will take credit.

The best one was when Paramount poached a player from Monument who had just committed to VA Tech, announced it as one of their commits in the website, only for the kid to be poached by metro, who in turn announced it as one of their commits (then proceeded to never play the kid). Volleyball in this area is nuts sometimes.

[Anonymous]

Poaching is the same at VA Elite. The 18s Invite-Only tryouts is a farce.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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?

Lots of truth here. Players with certain physical attributes and athletic ability that can't be taught are going to be recruited regardless of who they play for. The 2025 PSU commit you mentioned is pushing 6'4" and is also incredibly athletic (in addition to getting lots of attention because of her parents' athletic achievements) and would likely have been noticed regardless of what club she played for (although you missed her 12s year that she played for Metro Central).

As far as whether another club should get the "credit" for players who started at other clubs and end up at Metro either just before (or even after) they commit is kind of a flawed premise. Most volleyball players who start at age 10 or 11 will play for several clubs over the course of their club careers. If they are a CHRVA player and are exceptional or recognized as having a lot of potential, they often end up on a Metro Travel or Paramount team. Over the course of the 6+ years that many of these recruited athletes play prior to being recruited and committing, they will likely have many coaches (club, high school, private lessons, etc.). It's the combination of all this coaching and experiences that help a player develop so I don't think it's realistic for a single person or entity (other than the player themselves) to take credit for the success. There are tons of great coaches and clubs that are training good volleyball players in our region and they don't always get the recognition they deserve, either because they coach younger kids or because their club isn't as competitive and their best players go elsewhere at some point.

Of course all of these clubs are small businesses that want to use the successes of their athletes as a promotional tool, so it's not surprising to see clubs proudly announcing when one of their players commits. But I agree, it's not really accurate for Metro or Paramount to claim sole responsibility for a player's commitment. That said, for a variety of reasons the best players in CHRVA tend to end up at a handful of CHRVA clubs by about age 16 and when those players commit to play collegiately, those clubs will take credit.

The best one was when Paramount poached a player from Monument who had just committed to VA Tech, announced it as one of their commits in the website, only for the kid to be poached by metro, who in turn announced it as one of their commits (then proceeded to never play the kid). Volleyball in this area is nuts sometimes.

While I understand the frustration from a team/club that loses its better players to another club, the use of the word "poach" suggests that Paramount or Metro is doing something unethical when they recruit a player from another club. Assuming they are following the CHRVA recruiting rules. I don't really see the issue with a club trying to get a good player to join their club. And in many instances, it's the player who is looking to play on a stronger team that tries out for another club rather than the club seeking out particular players.

Also, for a player that is already committed, I have heard of situations where a college coach will tell the committed athlete to play their 17s and/or 18s year at a stronger club to get higher level experience before they come to college. While there are plenty of good coaches and teams in our region that offer good training, only a handful play in the open division at national qualifiers against the best players in the country. Getting that experience (both in tournaments and perhaps more importantly, at practice) will better prepare a player to hit the ground running in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Academy
MoCo
MVSA

For a Maryland 14 year old with about a year of rec experience.

Should she try out for all of them?

Where is Academy located?

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.

Does anyone know anything about Academy’s practice schedule or fees? Their website is not the best in terms of finding club info.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know where they practice but the dues is on each team’s page, you have to scroll down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know where they practice but the dues is on each team’s page, you have to scroll down.

Practice schedules and sometimes locations will vary from year to year so you'll have to wait until the fall for specifics for next season, although their teams pages do indicate the number of days per week they practice . For locations, they show St Andrew's in Potomac and North Chevy Chase Elementary as locations for camps and clinics and I suspect those are locations for their club team practices as well.