Reply to What's the benefit of Metro volleyball travel team?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]In today's world there are too many fake information that parents need do their own work. Many clubs try to mix things together to make their club looks good. Like club X keep advertising they have D1 recruits and posting on their web social network with their D3 players like last week 68 assists from a community college player. 😀[/quote]

Agree. Don't believe their marketing, and don't believe the "tier lists" that a guaranteed to show up on this board once tryouts starts. Do your homework, talk to the club director and to the coach and to families that have club experience. Find the club that fits your goals and objectives.

There was a poster in another thread that had a great point, "Last year I had the same approach as the one you outlined: my daughter deserves to be in one of the best clubs in the area. The difference is: you asked for advice and I didn't. I feel like the outcome will be different: we struggled and stressed as a result, you have more realistic expectations and a better approach" Its great advice.

FOMO in club volleyball is huge, especially for parents.  But there are great clubs with great coaches who drive great experiences throughout the DMV. You'll be much happier and more successful if you find a club that fits your needs.[/quote]

I'm not completely sure what fake information a PP is referring to, but it is true that there are players who don't come to Metro until 16s or 17s who have played elsewhere. And there are lots examples of that from other clubs too. At the end of the day, volleyball clubs are businesses and marketing is part of running a business, meaning that clubs are going to paint recruiting results in the best light possible. It seems accurate to say that a player who plays for Club ABC today is committed to XYZ University, even if they played for one or more clubs prior to coming to Club ABC. I think it's likely that a majority of players who commit to play collegiate volleyball have played for multiple clubs and gotten coaching in HS, clinics, private lessons, etc that have all contributed to their development. There are very few players who start with a club at 10 or 11 and are still playing for the same club at 18. Should clubs be listing all of that out on their Instagram posts announcing when a player who currently plays for their club is committed?

From a numbers perspective, I think it's pretty safe to say that Metro Travel teams have the most players who go on to play collegiately of CHRVA clubs, even if they all haven't been with the club since 13s.  Using the class of 2025 as an example, since they are further along in the process than the class of 2026, Metro shows they have 15 of their class of 2025 Travel players committed to D1 programs, which includes 3 players going to what are currently top 25 programs.

I've tried to estimate the numbers of commitments for the class of 2025 players and their current CHRVA clubs , but I'm sure I've missed some (estimates based on [url]https://volleytalk.proboards.com/thread/94554/2025-ncaa-d1-indoor-commits[/url] and club social media accounts):
Metro Travel - 15 D1
VA Elite - 4 D1 and 6 D3
Paramount - 3 D1 and 1 D3
MDJRs - 3 D1, 1 D2, and 2 D3
Columbia - 2 D1, 1 D2, and 1 D3
Blue Ridge - 1 D1, 2 D2, and some D1 beach commits
Liberty Elite - 1 D1 and 2 D2
VA Juniors - 1 D1 and 1 D3
MVSA - 1 D1
Chesapeake Elite - 1 D1
 
In terms of the quality of collegiate programs that CHRVA players are recruited to, Metro consistently places more players in power conference programs than other CHRVA clubs. From the class of 2025 data represented above, there are 6 total players going to Power 4 conference schools. Of those, 5 are from Metro Travel and 1 is from Paramount. The reality is that being recruited to play D1 volleyball at any level is difficult. Others have cited this data ([url]https://scholarshipstats.com/varsityodds[/url]) which shows the odds of making a D1 women's volleyball program for a HS girls' player at about 83:1. From a numbers perspective, that's harder than all other women's sports except tennis and wrestling. Whether it's worthwhile to play for a D1 team that isn't likely to be competing for a national championship is a separate question from what are the benefits of one club over another.

There are of course downsides to playing for Metro Travel, Paramount, or similar clubs. They tend to take more players per team and playing time is not guaranteed meaning some players don't see the court much during tournaments. And the practices and training are very intense. If your DD isn't driven to work hard or is sensitive to blunt feedback/some yelling, then it's probably not a good fit.

Nevertheless, if your DD wants to play collegiate volleyball, Metro Travel is the most straightforward path amongst CHRVA clubs. Of course many players are recruited to play in college from other clubs and if one of them works better for you, then that's great. Getting recruited to play in college is more about the individual player and less about the club. That said, playing for certain clubs can get a player more visibility to college coaches and clubs that have more experience getting players recruited have more relationships with college programs and more knowledge about how to manage the process.

If your DD is not interested in playing collegiate volleyball, then I would probably stay away from Metro Travel and many of the other clubs listed above (or at least their top teams). Playing for a team that goes to multiple qualifiers and travels a lot is expensive and means missing school. If your objective for volleyball is the life lessons and other benefits of team sports, but not playing in college, there are lots of clubs that can offer that without all the downsides.

And be realistic. AES shows there were around 140 CHRVA teams in the 14s, 15s, and 16s age groups last season. With a hypothetical average of 12 players per team, that's ~1,680 girls playing within CHRVA for each of those age groups. The most players that can be on a USAV club roster is 15 so the competition is pretty intense to play for certain top teams. Get to know a few different clubs and come up with a strategy for what teams to tryout for. It's ok to aim high, but have a backup plan if that doesn't work out.  [/quote]

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