Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another poster here considering VV, but saw there was no U16 team. Great info so far.

Wondering...what tournaments and/or teams do they play? Or don't they do too much of that (hence their low price)?
Do they play in CHC? Play against other mid-tier teams?

DD's team last year played tournaments against various teams(x factor, a bunch of MD teams, bryc, etc) and I don't recall ever seeing VV on any of the courts.

It could have been different tournaments or just a different pool. I recall them playing local teams like X Factor, No Panic, Platform Black, MDJrs Open, Loudoun Elite, Mojo off the top of my head.

Also VAJrs

Anonymous wrote:Another poster here considering VV, but saw there was no U16 team. Great info so far.

Wondering...what tournaments and/or teams do they play? Or don't they do too much of that (hence their low price)?
Do they play in CHC? Play against other mid-tier teams?

DD's team last year played tournaments against various teams(x factor, a bunch of MD teams, bryc, etc) and I don't recall ever seeing VV on any of the courts.

It could have been different tournaments or just a different pool. I recall them playing local teams like X Factor, No Panic, Platform Black, MDJrs Open, Loudoun Elite, Mojo off the top of my head.

Yes, they played CHC and will do so again. They are a regional team with only 1-2 "stay and play" tournaments (last year, it was Boardwalk Block Party in Atlantic City). They have a lighter tournament schedule ~1/month. They usually do not play nationals unless it's a older team (16s+).

Their tournament schedule for this season is up and is a decent mix:
https://volleyviet.com/?page=girlsTryout

Anonymous wrote:Another poster here considering VV, but saw there was no U16 team. Great info so far.

Wondering...what tournaments and/or teams do they play? Or don't they do too much of that (hence their low price)?
Do they play in CHC? Play against other mid-tier teams?

DD's team last year played tournaments against various teams(x factor, a bunch of MD teams, bryc, etc) and I don't recall ever seeing VV on any of the courts.

2024 CHC results for VV
https://events.sportwrench.com/#/events/cf57945b1/clubs/33315

Another poster here considering VV, but saw there was no U16 team. Great info so far.

Wondering...what tournaments and/or teams do they play? Or don't they do too much of that (hence their low price)?
Do they play in CHC? Play against other mid-tier teams?

DD's team last year played tournaments against various teams(x factor, a bunch of MD teams, bryc, etc) and I don't recall ever seeing VV on any of the courts.

Anonymous wrote:PP here. One additional point - I would not expect VV to hold makeup tryouts. At the outset, they told U13/U14 teams there would be no makeups. Given the turnout, they did not need to. I think only 1-2 U13s declined (4 offers still pending today with 6 alternates waiting; the rest have accepted). For U14s, same deal (maybe 2-3 declined; 4 offers pending and 4 alternates).

There is some great talent at this club, but it can be mixed. Some of the girls got offers from top clubs, but return to VV. Some of the girls who got offers make me question the decision making - it appears there is a mix of loyalty and skill that goes into the roster. This year at tryouts, coaches used "independent judges" at U13 and U14 tryouts - presumably to help provide some impartiality; however, I am sure coaches had input on final offers. From my perspective, there were some girls who got offers that shouldn't have and some listed as alternates who should have had an offer first.

How to handle players returning from one season to the next is always a challenge for coaches/clubs. Having some continuity on a team from one year to the next is beneficial (both from a volleyball and team chemistry perspective), but from a competitiveness standpoint it would make sense to not make offers to a few of the less skilled returners and replace them with new players from tryouts. But that is challenging to do in real life, especially if the less skilled returner is a good kid who works hard. It gets even harder from a coach's perspective if one or more of the key players from last season's team comes to tryouts and are made offers and then decide to go to another club. These problems are not unique to VV and are part of the reason the whole tryout and forming teams process often stretches out to late in the week following tryouts.

Anonymous wrote:PP here. One additional point - I would not expect VV to hold makeup tryouts. At the outset, they told U13/U14 teams there would be no makeups. Given the turnout, they did not need to. I think only 1-2 U13s declined (4 offers still pending today with 6 alternates waiting; the rest have accepted). For U14s, same deal (maybe 2-3 declined; 4 offers pending and 4 alternates).

There is some great talent at this club, but it can be mixed. Some of the girls got offers from top clubs, but return to VV. Some of the girls who got offers make me question the decision making - it appears there is a mix of loyalty and skill that goes into the roster. This year at tryouts, coaches used "independent judges" at U13 and U14 tryouts - presumably to help provide some impartiality; however, I am sure coaches had input on final offers. From my perspective, there were some girls who got offers that shouldn't have and some listed as alternates who should have had an offer first.

The prices are so reasonable. They really get a lot of good kids trying out.

As a coach in another sport, I will almost always take a kid I know is good but didn't show well at tryout over a kid that showed well at a try out. So, even though we say you have to try out for your position every year, there are really only a handful of spots that are really up for grabs.

PP here. One additional point - I would not expect VV to hold makeup tryouts. At the outset, they told U13/U14 teams there would be no makeups. Given the turnout, they did not need to. I think only 1-2 U13s declined (4 offers still pending today with 6 alternates waiting; the rest have accepted). For U14s, same deal (maybe 2-3 declined; 4 offers pending and 4 alternates).

There is some great talent at this club, but it can be mixed. Some of the girls got offers from top clubs, but return to VV. Some of the girls who got offers make me question the decision making - it appears there is a mix of loyalty and skill that goes into the roster. This year at tryouts, coaches used "independent judges" at U13 and U14 tryouts - presumably to help provide some impartiality; however, I am sure coaches had input on final offers. From my perspective, there were some girls who got offers that shouldn't have and some listed as alternates who should have had an offer first.

Also for reference, last year 2023-2024 CHRVA rankings:

U18: 19th of 64
U17: 34th of 84
U16: 39th of 140
U13: 37th of 92

My DD played VV U13 last year and LOVED it. She was new to club and a beginner (had height on her side). The 13s team was mostly beginners and the development over the season was outstanding.

The culture of this club is very positive. Family-oriented and supportive. No competition, parents get along. Coaches do it for the love of the sport, not money. They are all volunteers, teams practice at public schools or churches (the only downside to that is a practice will be cancelled if it's a school holiday that day). You cannot beat the cost - not even on the MD side.

I agree with prior post - solid middle club.

Because they are a volunteer organization, they typically do not run every age level every year. Last year was 13s, 16-18s. This year, 13, 14, and 17s. This is ultimately decided by the coaches each, some who have a kid on the team.

U17 will be coached by Tim Kao, who also serves as the commissioner for VYI Volleyball (Vienna rec league). He did not coach last year, but definitely has experience (I'm just not familiar with him as a coach, but my interactions with him have always been positive).

For reference, I believe that U13s had at least 24+ tryouts. U14s was overwhelming (at least 50 girls at tryouts). I don't know what they anticipate for 17s, but recall that there was a good turnout last year for this group. Even as a middle club, they are competitive.

Hope this helps! I'll monitor this thread if you have additional questions.

Anonymous wrote:Several U17 tryouts are scheduled on the same day, so we need to decide which one to attend. Therefore, we need more information about the VV club. There’s very little discussion about it in the forums, and apart from its good pricing, we don’t know much about its culture, strength, or track record. If any parents have information, please share. Thank you！

I forgot to answer the track record question (https://www.advancedeventsystems.com/rankings/Female/U17/aes): their 17s team was 34 out of 84 in CHRVA and 1762 out of 3320 nationally. Solid middle.

Anonymous wrote:Several U17 tryouts are scheduled on the same day, so we need to decide which one to attend. Therefore, we need more information about the VV club. There’s very little discussion about it in the forums, and apart from its good pricing, we don’t know much about its culture, strength, or track record. If any parents have information, please share. Thank you！

No first hand knowledge, but I hope this will help you. We met VV twice in tournaments (their 13s, not the 17s though). They beat us at the beginning of the season, we beat them at the end of the season. It is definitely not a top club, but pretty competitive. The crowd (parents / families) was extremely supportive, so you will probably like the environment.

Several U17 tryouts are scheduled on the same day, so we need to decide which one to attend. Therefore, we need more information about the VV club. There’s very little discussion about it in the forums, and apart from its good pricing, we don’t know much about its culture, strength, or track record. If any parents have information, please share. Thank you！

I suggest that you try out and accept the offer (if you get one). It might be the only club in VA that has goals other than making a ton of money because the market allows them to charge whatever they want.

Anyone know anything about Volley Viet. Looks like they are having a 13u and 14u and 17u teams this year. 17u try out is coming, but I don't know much about this club. Thank you!