MVA RECRUITING
SESSION
THE PATH TO PLAYING IN COLLEGE
RULE #1
BE GOOD AT PLAYING VOLLEYBALL
PRIMARY SKILLS
PASSING
SETTING
HITTING
SERVING
DEFENSE/BLOCKING
RULE #2
KNOW YOUR LEVEL
& DO YOUR HOMEWORK
GET EVALUATED BOTH ATHLETICALLY AND ACADEMICALLY
HTTPS://MYRECRUITINGSOLUTIONS.COM/HOW-TO-GET-NOTICED-BY-COLLEGE-RECRUITERS/
RESEARCH SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMS
TALK TO YOUR COACHES
CREATE A LIST OF SCHOOLS (NEED THE FIT-ATHLETIC, ACADEMIC, SOCIALLY, GEOGRAPHICALLY,
FINANCIALLY)
DOWNLOAD SCOUT SCHOLAR APP (SCOUT SCHOLAR PLAYERS) HTTPS://SCOUTSCHOLAR.COM/REGISTER
RULE #3
CREATE SOLID RECRUITING VIDEOS AND
YOUR STORY
WRITE A 3-4 SENTENCE ”ABOUT ME” PARAGRAPH. KEEP IT SHORT AND ENGAGING.
HIGHLIGHT REELS AND UNEDITED VIDEO ARE A MUST FOR COLLEGE COACHES!
COACHES’ RECOMMENDATIONS ARE ALSO VERY IMPORTANT
SCHOOL COUNSELOR FEEDBACK IS IMPORTANT AS WELL!
IT ALL MATTERS BOTH ON AND OFF THE COURT
SOME FAMILIES ARE UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT HIGHLIGHT VIDEOS ARE UNNECESSARY, BUT THIS COULDN’T BE
FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH! YOUR DAUGHTER WILL NEED EDITED AND UNEDITED VIDEO FOOTAGE AVAILABLE FOR
COLLEGE COACHES TO REVIEW ON A MONTHLY BASIS. REGARDLESS OF YOUR TALENT LEVEL, VIDEO FOOTAGE IS
CRUCIAL!
THINK ABOUT THE RECRUITING PROCESS AS A WAY TO BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH A COACH AND THEIR
PROGRAM. TO BUILD THIS RELATIONSHIP, YOU WILL NEED TO REMAIN IN CLOSE COMMUNICATION WITH THE
PROGRAM. COLLEGE COACHES RECEIVE HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS OF EMAILS ON A WEEKLY BASIS. IN AN
EFFORT TO STAND OUT FROM THE COMPETITION, YOU WILL NEED TO SHOW PROGRESS EVERY 4 WEEKS OR SO
THROUGH VIDEO. A COACH IS GOING TO MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO SEE YOUR ATHLETE PLAY LIVE BEFORE OFFERING
THEM A SPOT ON THEIR ROSTER, BUT REMAINING IN CONTACT AND SHOWING YOUR PROGRESS IS A GREAT WAY TO
SHOW HOW DEDICATED YOUR ATHLETE IS TO GETTING RECRUITED. SHARING MORE THAN ONE VIDEO IN A MONTH IS
OVERKILL. CHOOSE THE MOST COMPETITIVE MATCHES OF YOUR TOURNAMENT AND CREATE A HIGHLIGHT BETWEEN
2 AND 4 MINUTES LONG. YOU WILL ALSO WANT TO UPLOAD UNEDITED FOOTAGE ONTO YOUTUBE, AS COACHES WILL
REQUEST IT OVER TIME.
WHEN YOU CREATE A HIGHLIGHT REEL, YOU HAVE 10 SECONDS TO GET THE COLLEGE COACHES ATTENTION. DO NOT
WASTE TIME ON AN INTRODUCTION, OR A SLIDESHOW OF PICTURES AND INFORMATION. JUST GET STRAIGHT TO THE
POINT WITH THE PLAYS. IDEALLY YOU WANT ALL THE VIDEO TO COME FROM ONE OR TWO COMPETITIVE MATCHES ON
THE SAME DAY. THIS MAY OR MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE DEPENDING ON THE AMOUNT OF PLAYING TIME YOU RECEIVE,
AND HOW OFTEN YOU HAVE CONTACT WITH THE BALL. IF YOU ARE NOT A STARTER, THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE
WORLD! PART OF YOUR UPDATES WILL INCLUDE THE FACT THAT YOU ARE WORKING HARD TO EARN A SPOT ON THE
COURT. IT MAY BE A CHALLENGE TO GET VIDEO, BUT YOU CAN TAKE VIDEO FOOTAGE IN PRACTICE DURING
SCRIMMAGES AS WELL. A COLLEGE COACH DOESN’T CARE IF YOU HAVE FOOTAGE FROM A TOURNAMENT OR
PRACTICE. AS LONG AS YOU CAN SHOW VIDEO OF YOU COMPETING, YOU WILL BE FINE.
RULE #4
COMMUNICATE WITH COLLEGE COACHES
COACHES WANT TO GET TO KNOW YOU…THE ATHLETE
• HOW DO I TALK TO COACHES? WELL, IT TAKES PRACTICE AND A PLAN! MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE
A ONE ON ONE RECRUITING CONSULTATION
•RULES? YES THERE ARE RULES TO COMMUNICATION. LET’S COVER THAT HERE:
• YOU CAN ALWAYS SEND THINGS TO COACHES, THEY JUST MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RESPOND
• HOW THEY CAN RESPOND DEPENDS ON THEIR LEVEL (DIV 1, 2, 3, NAIA, NJCAA)
• WHEN THEY CAN RESPOND DEPENDS ON THEIR LEVEL (DIV 1, 2, 3, NAIA, NJCAA)
Communication Rules
When can college volleyball coaches contact you?
NCAA Division 1 and Division 2 volleyball coaches can contact athletes starting
June 15 after an athlete’s sophomore year of high school. This includes extending
verbal offers, electronic communications (such as emails, texts, instant
messages, etc.) and phone calls are acceptable at this time.
Communication and Contact
NCAA Division 1 volleyball recruiting rules
The NCAA Division 1 volleyball recruiting rules restrict when and how D1 volleyball coaches can actively start communicating
with prospects. The most important date for D1 volleyball players is June 15 after their sophomore year. At this point, coaches
can extend verbal offers and are allowed almost all forms of communication.
● Recruiting questionnaires, camp invites, NCAA materials and non-athletic publications: Any time
● Verbal Scholarship Offers: June 15 after sophomore year
● Private correspondence (phone calls, emails, texts, instant messages, DMs, faxes): June 15 after sophomore year
● Official and unofficial visits: August 1 before junior year
● Off-campus contact: August 1 before junior year
Communication and Contact
NCAA Division 2 volleyball recruiting rules
The most important date in the NCAA Division 2 volleyball recruiting rules is June 15 after sophomore year of high
school. At this time all contact is permitted.
● Recruiting questionnaires, camp brochures and non-athletic publications: Any time
● Unofficial visits: Any time, unlimited
● Verbal Scholarship Offers: June 15 after sophomore year
● Private correspondence (phone calls, emails, texts, instant messages, DMs, faxes): June 15 after sophomore
year
● Official visits: June 15 before junior year
● In-person, off-campus contact: June 15 before junior year
Communication and Contact
NCAA Division 3 volleyball recruiting rules
D3 volleyball colleges have the most relaxed NCAA recruiting rules of all the division levels. Most contact is allowed at any
time and recruits are only restricted in when they can start taking official visits and have off-campus contact with coaches.
● Recruiting materials: Athletes can receive recruiting materials at any time.
● Phone calls and electronic communications: There is no limit on when college coaches can call or digitally message
athletes.
● Unofficial visits: Any time, unlimited
● Off-campus contact: After the athlete’s sophomore year, college coaches may begin to conduct off-campus contact.
● Official visits: Athletes can begin taking official visits after January 1 of their junior year.
Communication and Contact
NAIA volleyball recruiting rules
The NAIA gives a lot of freedom to its coaches in the recruiting process, and it
does not restrict when or how coaches can reach out to high school athletes.
Though there are fewer rules, NAIA coaches do tend to start the recruiting process
a little later than NCAA Division 1 or Division 2 coaches.
Communication and Contact
NJCAA
Athlete can email and text but coaches contact officially
speak with the player until the conclusion of their junior year
high school season.
Terms to Know
Contact Period: During this time, coaches can email, text, call, direct
message and contact athletes and their parents through any
NCAA-approved method
Evaluation Period: Throughout the evaluation period, coaches are allowed
to watch an athlete compete in person or visit them at their school or home.
However, there are some specific rules about where coaches can evaluate
athletes, so pay close attention to whether coaches can evaluate athletes at
school events, non-school events or both.
Terms to Know
Quiet Period: The quiet period is a time when coaches may not have face-to-face
contact with recruits off the college campus, such as at an athlete’s school, or at an
athlete’s games and tournaments. In other words, the coach can only talk to recruits
on the coach’s campus or through any other approved electronic means of
communication.
Dead Period: During the dead period, coaches may not have any in-person contact with
recruits or their families. Coaches can still keep in touch with recruits via phone, email,
social media and other approved electronic means of communication.
RULE #5 Get Exposure (free websites)
•CREATE AND UPDATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETE ACCOUNT HTTPS://UNIVERSITYATHLETE.COM/#/
•PREP VOLLEYBALL UNSIGNED JR/SR LIST HTTPS://PREPVOLLEYBALL.COM/PLAYER-SUBMISSION
•YOUTUBE-CREATE A CHANNEL
•BE RECRUITED FREE ACCOUNT HTTPS://WWW.BERECRUITED.COM/SUBSCRIPTIONS CREATE A PROFILE
HTTPS://WWW.BERECRUITED.COM/ATHLETES/643600
