NAIA AND NCAA VOLLEYBALL SCHOLARSHIPS

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL RECRUITING

Finding a college volleyball scholarship takes a good understanding of how volleyball coaches look for potential athletes and what you can do to get their attention. When it comes to college volleyball recruiting the most common questions coaches ask are “how high can you jump?” and “how hard can you hit?” Combine those skills with strengths in passing, serving, and blocking, and you could be on your way to playing college volleyball.

Basics of Volleyball Scholarships

There are over 1,670 women’s volleyball programs in the U.S. but only about 113 men’s volleyball programs.

Men’s volleyball offers about 4.5 scholarships per team, and being an equivalency sport, this means coaches can divide these scholarships between as many players as they want.

Use our COLLEGE SEARCH TOOL to find the best volleyball colleges… Make up your own list of volleyball colleges that fit your academic and athletic profile. A list of NCAA volleyball colleges can also be found here.  Division I CollegesDivision II CollegesDivision III Colleges.

In NCAA Division I, women’s volleyball is a head count sport, so only full scholarships are available; only the most elite volleyball players earn those scholarships. In all other divisions, women’s volleyball in an equivalency sport.

College volleyball recruiting. What volleyball coaches and scouts look for.

Outside Hitters/Middle Blockers

Besides having a height advantage, middle blockers and hitters need to have strong net play skills including jumping, blocking, and attacking. If you can do these consistently, you could work your way towards a volleyball scholarship. College coaches want their front row players to be able to start contributing to the team right away, as well as develop and adjust to the college level of play.

Defensive Specialist/Libero

While height may not be as crucial in a back row specialist, being able to deliver controlled passes and digs is crucial to your development as a college volleyball player. You also need to be quick with good body control and balance. Adjustment to college play may take a bit longer for the DS or libero position, but once mastered, these players are essential to a college coach and these athletes are able to earn volleyball scholarships down the line.

Setter

Because of the more competitive level of play in college, high school setters will need to work hard to adapt to the different strategies and plays that college coaches use in their setters. Coaches will recruit setters who fit their style of play, whether it is the 5-1 or 6-2 system. These players need to be strong all-around players as well as lead their teammates during play.

Camps help you gain exposure

Attending volleyball camps is a great way to demonstrate your skills directly to the coaches you are interested in playing for. Being able to watch an athlete in person is a huge bonus for a volleyball coach because they can watch scholarship potential athletes play against others. Volleyball players need to make sure they are using these opportunities effectively if they want the best chance of earning a scholarship.

Use the links at the bottom left hand side of this page to make up you list of volleyball colleges. Compile a list of DI volleyball colleges or any other NCAA Division.

Are you ready for the NEXT STEP!