Want to play volleyball in college? Depending on their level of play, their academics, their dedication, desire, and support from their coaches, your child can play volleyball in college!
This page includes helpful advice and information about how you can get recruited to play in college, and we will continue to update and add information here.
There are over 1,800 Women’s College Volleyball Programs across the U.S.
- 340 Division I volleyball colleges
- 293 Division II volleyball colleges
- 427 Division III volleyball colleges
- 220 NAIA volleyball colleges
- 67 four-year colleges outside of the above divisions
- 313 NJCAA volleyball colleges
- 133 two-year colleges outside of the NJCAA
- and over 85 colleges have NCAA beach volleyball programs, too
There’s a right-fit school and team for you!
Club Directors often receive emails from College Coaches about player opportunities. There are playing opportunities in college for players of all skill levels… it just takes time and research to find the best fit financially, academically, and athletically.
Also, the level of play at each school is NOT directly correlated to the divisions listed above. Many lower-level DI teams are not as strong as the upper-level DII and DIII teams. There are many 2-year school teams that would beat many NCAA DI-II-III teams… and the NAIA schools often have a lot of athletic scholarship money to give, since they are not restricted by NCAA rules. Lastly, DIII schools do not give “athletic” scholarships but often have a lot of academic scholarship money to offer (typically a LOT more than you would receive with a partial D1 scholarship). There’s a “right-fit” school for you to play collegiate volleyball.
Volleyball coaches want to hear from YOU… The player will need to put in some time and effort to reach out to colleges, market herself, and find her desired school(s). By reaching out to college coaches, you will open many more doors and find yourself being recruited, and possibly discovering schools you had not heard of, but that want YOU to play in their program!
Want to play NCAA sports?
Visit ncaa.org/playcollegesports (lots of interesting info/stats, including
NCAA Eligibility Center (lots of helpful NCAA info!) – register now for Player Profile (Free); no need to pay for certification until about to commit for D1 or D2. If unsure what level you may play, simply register for the free profile now, then upgrade later if you are not sure yet, just register.
Helpful Points
- Get great grades. This will open the most doors and schools typically offer more money for academics.
- Work harder than all your teammates, on and off the court and in the classroom.
- Make sure your volleyball coaches and club director know that you want to play in college.
- Target the schools where you want to live and are a good fit academically.
- Be realistic in identifying what level you can contribute and make an impact.
- Create a personal highlight reel and a skill videos.
- Start sending personal emails to coaches (with highlight video)!
- Keep in contact and be sure to ALWAYS REPLY to coaches within 48 hours!
Playing a college sport is not easier than in high school or club. It’s even MORE work and demands strong time management skills. It’s never too early to start managing your own time and priorities… Parents, let your daughters be in charge of their schedules and commitments now so that college is not such an overwhelming shock. But if you do want to play in college, it’s rewarding, memorable, and exciting!
Interacting with College Coaches
INTRO EMAIL TEMPLATE TO COLLEGE VB COACHES from Dianne Denecochea of ProActiveVolley.
Phone Call
Do you have a call with a college coach already set up?
Here’s a link to some helpful info and topics to discuss and ask, etc: https://www.ncsasports.org/recruiting/contacting-college-coaches
Personal Recruiting Profile Page
A personal recruiting profile page is not required, but highly recommended.
You should have a place where all your personal information resides:
Name
- Graduation year
- Height
- Position(s)
- Vertical
- Touch
- Grades
- Test scores
- Personal statements
You can use a free page/service (like CaptainU or NCSA), but they often try to “upsell” you to pay for more of their services.
Instead, utilize what LJV already provides for current LJV players (16s-18s):
- HUDL – Best way to re-watch your games AND make your highlight videos! Hudl stores all of our game videos, does stats breakdowns, and makes it so easy to create your personal highlight videos! Hudl now has Recruiting features, where you can enter your personal information AND you are “find-able” by college coaches if you choose to make yourself viewable and recruitable. Hudl.com
- SportsRecruits – A personal recruiting page where you enter your personal information, upload select game videos & highlights AND you can search for colleges by their size, location (interactive map of all colleges with volleyball programs), level of play, coach contact information, and more. SportsRecruits.com
- FieldLevel – Another free app/site to list yourself and possibly be found by college coaches. No need to pay for this, as Barb will “release” your contact info to any college coach that requests it if you’d like. FieldLevel.com
(College coaches often look at teammates of players as well… so you may get noticed online simply because a teammate of yours has contacted a college coach).
Relevant Associations
NCSA
NCSA – National Collegiate Scouting Association
Lots of FREE helpful info/advice on their website, so get on their emailing list for free info and blogs!
** DON’T dive into any financial commitment with NCSA (until/unless you talk with your coach first)
AVCA
AVCA – American Volleyball Coaches Association
LJV Recruiting Seminar – Jan 2022
Other Resources
- “The Ultimate Recruiting Guide for College Volleyball”
PDF file: The_Recruiting_Guide - University Athlete – be sure your information is up-to-date before major tournaments… most college coaches will use this app while at major tournaments to find and keep track of their potential recruits
- PrepVolleyball.com Recruiting Needs – updated regularly (membership/subscription required)
Good luck, everyone… there’s a great-fit college and volleyball program for YOU!
If you are a current LJV player, feel free to contact LJV Club Director Barb Birnbaum (and/or your current coaches) with any/all questions about college recruiting.