According to the NCAA Recruiting calendar, the quiet period for women’s volleyball starts today, December 3rd, and runs until next Tuesday, December 11th. During the quiet period, a college coach may only have in-person contact with you on campus. That means they cannot come to your tournaments or games to evaluate you. You are still allowed to have official and unofficial visits to their school though. Right after the quiet period ends, the dead period starts, where coaches cannot have any in-person contact with you or your parents through the end of the year.
With the quiet period, dead period, and the NCAA championships for women’s volleyball all happening in December, you need to know how this affects your recruiting. The limited contact you have with college coaches opens up more of your time to do some research and watch college volleyball at its best. By getting familiar with the NCAA Volleyball rankings and watching the championship games, you can learn a lot about potential volleyball programs.
NCAA Volleyball Rankings and Your Top Schools
As the top Division I, II, and III volleyball programs gear up for their championships, volleyball recruits should be paying attention. According the NCAA Volleyball rankings, the top six DI schools include Stanford, Penn State, Texas, Louisville, Nebraska, and UCLA. Now, how awesome would it be to get recruited to one of these schools? For many it would be a dream come true, but most high school players won’t make it to one of these schools.
The fact is, these schools are the very best in volleyball. That means they work hard to recruit the very best from all over the country. So unless you have been recognized at the state or national level, chances are that you won’t be recruited to those teams. Just watch them play in the championships. They have a considerably high level of play that may not be the best match for you. That’s when you need to start pursuing more options, especially at the DII and DIII levels if playing volleyball is your ultimate goal.
How You Should Use NCAA Volleyball Rankings
While you watch the volleyball championships in a couple of weeks, use the time to get familiar with the college programs and what kind of recruits they are looking for. Here are some ways to gauge your level of recruitment:
- Compare stats: Take a look at the rosters. How do you compare to the players on the team? At your position? Check out height, hits, blocks, digs, etc. If you have similar stats and level of play, there’s a chance you could find a place there.
- Check Academics: Your level of play isn’t the only thing that matters in your recruiting. Your academics play a crucial role in getting recruited. Research the admission and academic requirements of the programs you are watching. Would you be admitted? Top sports programs usually accompany top academic schools so you need to make sure you match both.
The student comes first at NCAA DIII level.
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