Anonymous wrote:Anyone gone to the invite only clinics with Renaissance?

Similar to ECP after Mojo broke away. Worth a shot.

Anyone gone to the invite only clinics with Renaissance?

Anonymous wrote:PP here. Thank you. I should add that she wants to step up from Rec but also doesn’t want a bunch of mean girls or mean parents. She also has other interests like theater, spring musical, etc. but wants to play volleyball more competitively than Rec.

TBH she is going to have a steep learning curve going from Rec to club play in this area. My DD played club for 2 years then Covid, then tried to play Rec for that soft entry back from Covid and the U15s on Rec didn’t seem to even know the basic idea of receive, set, hit. Instead, they would just play a free-for-all game of rushing to get under the ball to try to prevent the ball from hitting the floor, and whacking it over yo the other side of the net like it was a hot potato! No attempt at ball control or teamwork/strategy.
Your DD absolutely needs to master overhand serving at about 80-90% success rate to be successful at club level. (She can do this with dedicated practice. But don’t be one of those parents who makes excuses for not doing it. Consistently getting served over the net is the one thing every player has absolute control of.)

Also, at club level, the teams dont just play their games and leave. They also need to understand the actual rules of the game, and become certified as refs and scorekeepers. It’s fun, but it isn’t the kind of “fun” that you squeeze into an hour or two on weekends between rehearsals for the school musical.
Club requires about 8 weekends of travel (two full days and 2-3 nights at a time) per season, and three nights of 2-2.5 hour trainings per week.

The list is above is a great structure, but it’s a lot more helpful if you add open as a level. There's also some subjective bias that results in some teams being listed much higher or much lower than the level of competition they are in at tournaments. However, it took a lot of effort and is really appreciated. Obviously, it's hard to be completely objective and generalize across all age groups, and to do this right we’d have to make a list by age group.

Here's a different approach for the list below. No judgement on whether a team should be competing at that specified level, just that they usually do. Since every year is variable, the list is based off of last year and excludes clubs that aren't fielding teams this year, new teams at existing clubs and/or new clubs. Sources include club websites, USAV national qualifier registration, large regional travel tournament registrations (e.g. Capitol Hill, East Coast Championship, MLK weekend tournaments in Baltimore, Richmond & Lancaster, MAPL), CHRVA regional competitions (bids & non-bids, open/mixed/club tournaments), national championship registrations (USAV, AAU) and recruiting lists (Prep Volleyball, vbmag,com, PrepDig, Vballrecruiter.com, AVCA, etc.)

Keep in mind there can be big differences between then U14 and U18 age group within the same club. One club may have U14s that compete at a National level, but a U18 team that drops down to American or even regional (usually due to the fact that there a far fewer U18 players than U14 players).

Open:
Open teams compete in open at virtually all travel tournaments, especially qualifiers. They travel extensively and usually compete in multi-day tournaments, and usually compete for USAV bids in the region.

Metro Travel
Paramount 1s (U18 open at USAV qualifiers, younger teams generally in USA last year).
Virginia Elite (Attends USAV national qualifiers, no teams registered and/or qualified for CHRVA bids)

National:
National teams almost always compete in open at local and regional travel tournaments, and 1-2 levels below open at national tournaments. They may travel a lot and play mostly in multi-day tournaments. They also usually compete for USAV bids in their region, with many of them competing for bids in CHRVA last year. They generally compete in either USA or Liberty at the USAV qualifiers and between Premiere and Aspire at AAUs.

American 1s
Blue Ridge 1s (Blue)
Baltimore Elite 1s (Navy)
Columbia 1s
Liberty Elite 1s (National)
Loudoun Elite
Maryland Juniors 1s (Elite Black)
Metro North
MOCO 1s
MVSA 1s
Premier 1s
St. James 1s (Navy)
VA Juniors
VAVA 1s

While there is a lot of variation in performance across age groups at each club, the Open and National level teams make up the top 20 teams in virtually every CHRVA age group, especially if you consider their competition level relative to higher ranked teams that compete in lower divisions. They also represent the vast majority of the teams competing in CHRVA bids. Virtually every club on this list also has current players ranked on national recruiting lists and/or players that committed to a college in the last year.

American:
American teams sometimes compete in open at local tournaments, but often compete at the club level at the larger regional travel tournaments. They generally compete in American or Club at national qualifiers (a few compete in Liberty). They rarely are ranked high enough to gain a spot into the CHRVA bid tournament. Most of them attend CHRVA non-bid regionals. If they attend AAU they usually compete between Club (middle) and Classic level (lowest)

American 2s
Baltimore Elite 2s (White)
BRYC 1s
CEVA
Columbia 2s
Dulles (DYS)
DMV Elite
Liberty Elite 2s (American)
Libero
Maryland Exclusive (MEVC) 1s
Maryland Juniors 2s & 3s (Elite Yellow)
Metro regionals (excluding North, varies by region, some compete at this level, others compete at the regional level)
MVSA 2s
MOCO 2s
Premier 2s
VAVA 2s
Vienna Elite 1s & 2s

The American group is the hardest group to define, because clubs will raise or lower the team competition level based on the players they have each year. Many of these teams rank high in AES because of their focus on local tournaments and playing in lower levels of regional travel tournaments. However, few of these teams compete in CHRVA bids even when they are ranked well.

Regionals:
Regional teams compete at the club (usually the lowest) levels of regional tournaments. They may travel occasionally within the broader mid-Atlantic and generally compete at the lowest level in those tournaments. They generally do not attend nationals (USAV or AAU).

All lower level teams for clubs listed above
Anarchy
Brandywine
Monument
No Panic
RVA (Rockville)
Spiked City
Volleyball MD
X-factor
SRVC
Volley Viet

Anonymous wrote:And Libero? Go Volley?

Libero: newish with seemingly bigger goals. Modestly competitive locally

Anonymous wrote:Where would Loudoun Elite fit?

National level club, with some fairly competitive teams. Not top tier, but higher than regional

Anonymous wrote:It can be legitimately hard to differentiate team competition levels in CHVRA - clubs call there 1s, 2s, 3s teams all kinds of things. Here's something useful I found from another region:

National teams should consist of highly skilled athletes that compete at the highest levels of competition within and outside of the Ohio Valley Region.

American division teams do not desire the travel associated with the National division, but want a stronger level of competition than the Regional division

Regional teams consist of athletes from the beginner to the highly skilled and compete at various levels of competition based on their teams' composition.

I think it would help to have some more standard definitions in CHRVA like this!
Working from these definitions, applied in CHRVA (feel free to agree/disagree) -- generally, the breakdown seems to be

National Teams: Highest # skilled athletes/college commits per team, compete at highest levels - Open level in local/regional tournaments, open/premier for AAUs, wins some USAV bids,]. This applies to the 1s team where club has >1 team per age group

Blue Ridge
Liberty Elite
Maryland Juniors
Metro
MVSA
Paramount
VA Juniors

American*
Baltimore Elite*
The St James*
VAE*
Vienna*

*tend to do really well for college commits despite highly variable to no USAV bids

American Teams: players who do not desire the travel associated with the National division and/or did not make the 1s team, variable competition levels, can be same or stronger than Regional teams depending on the club and year group. For AAU Nationals, many (not all) of these teams will not register in open or premier, where college coaches usually look

2s Team for very competitive clubs above that have >1 age group team (eg. MD Juniors, Vienna, MVSA, Blue Ridge, Liberty, TSJ)
BRYC 1s
CEVA
Columbia
Dulles (DYS)
DMV
ECP DC
Maryland Exclusive 1s (MEVC)
Metro North
MOCO 1s
VAVA 1s

Regional teams consist of athletes from the beginner to the highly skilled and compete at various levels of competition based on their teams' composition.

For this group, PP was spot on "One way to spot how hyper competitive a team is to look at the team’s tournament schedule which is likely already posted. If the team travels often to multi day tournaments outside the mid-Atlantic, that’s a team that’s going to likely be a more hyper competitive environment."

For a quick list of Regional teams -- CHRVA NON-BID Regionals has many clubs and 2s/3s teams you don't hear as much about on DCUM, example of some but not all:

Alexandria Titans [Titans]
BRYC 2s
MOCO 2s
MVSA 3s team
MD Juniors 3s
Monument
No Panic
Southern Maryland
Maryland Exclusive (MEVC) 2s
VAVA 2s

https://results.advancedeventsystems.com/event/PTAwMDAwMzAwMzE90/divisions/137153/standings

Hopefully, this info is useful to someone! With

Just to be clear, only three teams in the region play in open, which is the best of the best nationwide. Metro, who are competitive, Paramount, also competitive with a growing presence and VAE who are spotty but nowhere near an open bid (even with their best teams). Open is a remarkable level and Metro and Paramount are among the best clubs in the country. Everyone else plays in lower, and significantly easier divisions. It’s no coincidence that those three clubs probably have the best college commits of any club (and in the same order).

Anonymous wrote:It can be legitimately hard to differentiate team competition levels in CHVRA - clubs call there 1s, 2s, 3s teams all kinds of things. Here's something useful I found from another region:

Super helpful post! Thank you! My DD played for one of the regional teams on the list for her first club season. She’s now looking for something more competitive so very helpful bc *I* am still learning.

I for one am grateful you spent the time to compile this information AND share it.

Blessings!

And Libero? Go Volley?

Where would Loudoun Elite fit?

It can be legitimately hard to differentiate team competition levels in CHVRA - clubs call there 1s, 2s, 3s teams all kinds of things. Here's something useful I found from another region:

National teams should consist of highly skilled athletes that compete at the highest levels of competition within and outside of the Ohio Valley Region.

American division teams do not desire the travel associated with the National division, but want a stronger level of competition than the Regional division

Regional teams consist of athletes from the beginner to the highly skilled and compete at various levels of competition based on their teams' composition.

I think it would help to have some more standard definitions in CHRVA like this!
Working from these definitions, applied in CHRVA (feel free to agree/disagree) -- generally, the breakdown seems to be

National Teams: Highest # skilled athletes/college commits per team, compete at highest levels - Open level in local/regional tournaments, open/premier for AAUs, wins some USAV bids,]. This applies to the 1s team where club has >1 team per age group

Blue Ridge
Liberty Elite
Maryland Juniors
Metro
MVSA
Paramount
VA Juniors

American*
Baltimore Elite*
The St James*
VAE*
Vienna*

*tend to do really well for college commits despite highly variable to no USAV bids

American Teams: players who do not desire the travel associated with the National division and/or did not make the 1s team, variable competition levels, can be same or stronger than Regional teams depending on the club and year group. For AAU Nationals, many (not all) of these teams will not register in open or premier, where college coaches usually look

2s Team for very competitive clubs above that have >1 age group team (eg. MD Juniors, Vienna, MVSA, Blue Ridge, Liberty, TSJ)
BRYC 1s
CEVA
Columbia
Dulles (DYS)
DMV
ECP DC
Maryland Exclusive 1s (MEVC)
Metro North
MOCO 1s
VAVA 1s

Regional teams consist of athletes from the beginner to the highly skilled and compete at various levels of competition based on their teams' composition.

For this group, PP was spot on "One way to spot how hyper competitive a team is to look at the team’s tournament schedule which is likely already posted. If the team travels often to multi day tournaments outside the mid-Atlantic, that’s a team that’s going to likely be a more hyper competitive environment."

For a quick list of Regional teams -- CHRVA NON-BID Regionals has many clubs and 2s/3s teams you don't hear as much about on DCUM, example of some but not all:

Alexandria Titans [Titans]
BRYC 2s
MOCO 2s
MVSA 3s team
MD Juniors 3s
Monument
No Panic
Southern Maryland
Maryland Exclusive (MEVC) 2s
VAVA 2s

https://results.advancedeventsystems.com/event/PTAwMDAwMzAwMzE90/divisions/137153/standings

Hopefully, this info is useful to someone! With

Anonymous wrote:Similar inquiry about what are considered solid “mid level” clubs? Maybe for girls who want to play more competitively but aren’t quite ready for national level teams? I have a u13 who played club last year for the first time on one of the more developmental teams mentioned above, but she wants more competition. She probably isn’t ready for Metro/Paramount type clubs but wants a step up from the more developmental club type.

You can also check out NVVA. They have their own facility, which is nice. They used to be competitive, but have drifted lower over time.

https://www.nvva.com/clubvolleyball

Anonymous wrote:Similar inquiry about what are considered solid “mid level” clubs? Maybe for girls who want to play more competitively but aren’t quite ready for national level teams? I have a u13 who played club last year for the first time on one of the more developmental teams mentioned above, but she wants more competition. She probably isn’t ready for Metro/Paramount type clubs but wants a step up from the more developmental club type.

For U13- step above a developmental. Maybe

STJ navy team
Mojo
Renaissance
Vava
Vienna elite blue team (top team)
BRYC National team.

The level of play for these clubs differ by age group so it is difficult to predict how competitive they will be. Within the same club, one age could be very competitive while another could be more developmental. Unfortunately you can’t even always tell by going to the clinics. The clinics may look developmental but the final team may end up being pretty solid- and vice versa. If you have had a chance to go to the clinics, maybe lean towards a team with a coach that your DD likes/clicks with.

Anonymous wrote:This is such a depressing thread.

I totally understand where you’re coming from. All of the info on this thread is helpful, but it can be very overwhelming, and yes, depressing, at times. If your daughter is more interested in finding a fun opportunity to play a great sport, but significant time and money commitment aren’t the right fit, and she’s also not super tall, I’d recommend exploring regional clubs that don’t focus on how many college committed players they have on their club and whether they go to Nationals. Or, check out bigger clubs that have National and Regional teams. One way to spot how hyper competitive a team is to look at the team’s tournament schedule which is likely already posted. If the team travels often to multi day tournaments outside the mid-Atlantic, that’s a team that’s going to likely be a more hyper competitive environment.
Many of these clubs have been mentioned already, some with both fans and detractors.
These are big clubs with regional teams, to name a few: Maryland: MOCO, MVSA, Md Jrs, and I’m sure there are others. Virginia: Mojo and BRYC. BRYC is a smaller club, but it’s not for profit, which is nice. Also, I believe that the St. James and Vienna Elite in Virginia still field more than one team at each age group. As mentioned before, Metro has regional times all over the DMV. These are regional teams, not to be confused with Metro Travel. And there are many more.
I hope this was helpful.