Tryouts

Once that final whistle blows in the state tournament for high school, the players know it's club season. The after school practices and team dinners are over with. No more hanging with the girls outside of practice. It is time to find a club that will take you far and will show your talents off to a college volleyball coach.

Club tryouts are probably the most stressful thing. There are so many girls that show up and what if you don't pass, hit or set a ball good when the coaches are looking at you? There is so little time to show what you got. Some coaches on the other hand know some players and know how they play. They have either coached them in the past or have seen them play in their high school season and then doesn't have to keep a close eye on them at tryouts.

Tryouts are at minimum two hours. Depending on the club it could be longer. They consist of many drills and then some playing at the end. The coaches want to make sure you can not only pass a free ball, but can play outstanding defense too. For the front row they want to make sure the hitters can move side to side quickly and jump super high. To be a good front row player, you have to be able to close the block when you are off. Coaches look at the players who communicate extremely well and have the compassion for the game. If you are the type of player that laughs or say oh well when making a mistake coaches won't appreciate you more than they will for other girls. Tryouts is all about which girl is making the extra effort for a ball or giving encouragement to other players.

At the end of the tryout, the coaches round all the athletes up and discuss what will happen in the next few days. When a phone call will occur or an email will come their way to get asked to play for their team. At this time you have shown everything you can offer to the team and is just hoping to receive a call or an email, asking them to come to their team. There is a cut off for when you will be able to tell the coaches that you are going to attend their team.