COLLEGE SAND VOLLEYBALL
BIG EVENTS: USA Volleyball has been a leader in producing big collegiate events, including at popular and existing destina- tions such as the pier in Hermosa Beach. Calif.
to ask themselves is: Am I sure I will be OK not being able to play indoor volleyball in college (or sitting out the required two seasons if I do decide to play)? As players ponder this, Wong also suggests they think about two other questions:
• How good do I want to be? “I want players that say they want to be good and follow through with their actions,” he says. “Being good is not easy. [It takes] many sacrifi ces, and change isn’t easy.” • Am I a “beach rat?” In Wong’s words, “Coaches love players who can’t be pulled away from the beach and who [think of it] as their second home.”
FINDING THE RIGHT FIT Like indoor programs, every sand pro-
gram offers something a little different. And every sand athlete is looking for something a little different. The right fi t for one player won’t necessarily be right for another. Before diving into the recruiting process, it’s important for athletes to educate themselves on the schools they’re considering. “It’s a brave new world out there,”
Tamarack Beach Volleyball Club Director Andrew Bennett says. “To help your players get recruited to play sand, you have to fi gure out what colleges actually have scholarships because a lot of them don’t. Lots of pro-
44 | VOLLEYBALLUSA • Digital Issue at
usavolleyball.org/mag
grams are using indoor players and rounding out the rosters with walk-ons to operate their sand program. For a serious sand athlete, that program wouldn’t be a great fi t.” To navigate the brave new world of sand volleyball, the best course of action is to ask questions.
“I think that things like training, training
times, offseason or spring training schedule are all valuable questions to ask about a sand program,” Matthies says. “The player needs to fi gure out if it is a serious sand program or something for indoor players to do in the offseason. If the indoor team is playing, what is the sand team doing? Is the staff the same for both programs? Is it year-round sand training? Is it a funded program? Does the team travel? Who does the team play? Is this a major sport, or a training program for the indoor team? Are most of the sand athletes indoor players as well?”
RECRUITING ROADMAP
If a player wants to earn a sand vol- leyball scholarship, it’s important that she be proactive. Unlike the indoor game, sand opportunities at the junior level are limited. Players don’t have many opportunities for exposure, and collegiate coaches don’t have many opportunities to watch sand players in action. The best way for a player to get on
a sand coach’s radar is to contact the coach directly and express interest in playing sand. “It’s always helpful for the athlete to
send her information to the school she would like to be recruited by so that the coach knows about her,” Crockett says. “Many athletes email the coaches and tell them that they play indoor and sand as well as what they would prefer to do in college.” But indicating interest in sand volleyball
isn’t enough to get a scholarship or a roster spot, especially if the interested player has limited sand experience and has predomi- nantly been involved with indoor volleyball. To be taken seriously, aspiring sand players must prove they are willing to work hard at learning the sand discipline. “It’s a different sport,” Bennett says. “Indoor players are where sand players are coming from. But once a player chooses sand, it’s important they are all-in.” For players with access to sand volley- ball on a regular basis, seeking out sand op- portunities is no big deal. But many players don’t have sand volleyball opportunities in their area. Their road to a scholarship will be rougher, but it is doable. “Putting in the effort is key,” Matthies
says. “You have to go to camps and clinics. You have to prove you are dedicated to the sport and learning it.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78