As Select Volleyball tryout season quickly approaches I hear a buzz about players considering trying out with competing clubs. My all means if you feel a different club will prepare your player better go for it. But if you are simply trying to get on a “better” team, or feel your current club doesn’t value your player’s abilities, then you might want to rethink your decision to switch clubs.

This is a nice article that addresses this topic.

Here are some highlights:

“In my daily conversations with college coaches they look for factors that have nothing to do with whether the athlete is on the 1’s team or 2’s team.”

“When you are recruiting a student-athlete, what are your thoughts when they switch clubs to ‘make a higher number team’, in turn does this negatively affect your position in their recruitment?”
Of the 75 coaches I surveyed, 55 (73%) responded that it would negatively affect their view of the athlete if she switched clubs just to make a higher number team. They would believe the athlete to be more concerned with recognition over key factors such as training, competitiveness and being prepared to play at the next level. Ironically, almost all of the 55 coaches shared that if the athlete was making the switch based upon higher level training or the opportunity to play another position that would enhance her potential to be recruited, then it would not be considered a detriment to her recruitment.

Before making your decision, find out exactly what your role will be for your team. Too often players choose the 1’s team and end up playing only a fraction of each match or barely see playing time at all. This makes it difficult for a college coach to evaluate a player at a tournament. Coach Jenny McDowell, Head Women’s Volleyball Coach at Emory University believes it is valuable to gain playing time. “For me, it does not matter if a player plays on the 1’s or 2’s team… it just depends on the level of the player. I would much rather have a player play for the 2’s team than sit on the bench for the 1’s team.”

Greg Reitz, Head Women’s and Men’s Volleyball Coach at Lourdes University states “many times the kids on the 2’s team get to play more consistently, for example a 6 rotation right side or outside hitter. That usually doesn’t happen on a 1’s team because you are chosen to play a position, in addition to your teammates the Defensive Specialists that fill the roster.”