Anonymous wrote:You can start at a lower-ranked club's third team. It practices twice a week and plays mostly local, one-day tournaments, for example:
https://www.platformvbc.com/13white25

Here are some advantages / disadvantages for this approach:

Advantages:
* You stay with the same team for the season (in rec your team may get shuffled after each 2-month session).
* You learn learn specialized positions (in rec you typically rotate through positions).
* You may get a better coach than you get in rec (but that's not a guarantee).

Disadvantages:
* You will feel like your team belongs in rec (most players have little to no club experience).
* You may get an unexperienced coach (it can happen in any 3rd club team - the best coaches will coach the top teams).
* You pay a lot more than in rec (think about several thousands for club vs several hundreds for rec).
* You will lose most of the games you play (this can be discouraging).

If you have a choice, pick the top team of a lower ranked club rather than the bottom team of a higher ranked club - your coaching will likely be better (this is just a rule of thumb and it is may not apply in specific circumstances).

You can start at a lower-ranked club's third team. It practices twice a week and plays mostly local, one-day tournaments, for example:
https://www.platformvbc.com/13white25

Anonymous wrote:My middle schooler loves volleyball but isn’t super competitive. She tried a MoCo rec league in the spring and enjoyed it, but it felt a little too low-key. We’re looking for something more competitive than rec, but not as intense or expensive as full club. A middle-ground option would be ideal, but I’m having trouble finding anything like that. Any suggestions?

I wish I could say that there is something that you can do in between rec and club, but you don't really have good choices. Even the MVSA league mentioned above (which I highly recommend by the way) happens only once a year. Sign up for it (consider yourself lucky if they still have spots available) and see how it goes. Go there with the understanding that they are trying to recruit players for their club and everyone will be invited to the tryouts (but there won't be a lot of pressure). If you go with rec experience only, you will end up in the rec-level division. It will be a bit above the rec level that you are used to, but not much. The real fun starts when you are in the higher-level divisions and play at higher level.

If your DD really likes volleyball, my advice is to start club as early as possible because each year counts. When I look at my DD and compare how she plays with girls who started 2 years earlier, I can really tell the difference. I wish I was more knowledgeable about the volleyball scene earlier.

17:15 again. MVSA has a rec league divided by levels, beginner, intermediate and advanced. https://www.mvsavbc.org/rec

A lot of the clubs have fall and spring clinics. My DD did MoCo’s when she was 14. This is MoCo the club, not rec. it was only a clinic, not a league. It was great. One step above rec but no club travel and club commitments. Maybe others will chime in regarding other clubs with similar offerings.

My middle schooler loves volleyball but isn’t super competitive. She tried a MoCo rec league in the spring and enjoyed it, but it felt a little too low-key. We’re looking for something more competitive than rec, but not as intense or expensive as full club. A middle-ground option would be ideal, but I’m having trouble finding anything like that. Any suggestions?