The next stage in your volleyball career can be collegiate athletics, but you might be wondering, “How do I get a volleyball scholarship?”
You will discover the measures you need to take as a prospective collegiate volleyball player with the help of our thorough guide.
Here are five straightforward and uncomplicated steps that will help you get a volleyball scholarship.
We will talk about them in this article.
What are volleyball scholarships?
On their varsity, junior varsity, and/or club volleyball teams, approximately 500,000 high school athletes participate in volleyball.
Only 1% of the athletes will go on to play collegiate volleyball for an NCAA Division I program. Thousands of scholarships for college volleyball exist against the odds.
A volleyball scholarship is a sum of money given by a college or institution to a young athlete as a perk for signing up for the team.
Like all athletic scholarships, volleyball scholarships are given to young athletes based on their level of proficiency.
While some scholarships will pay all of the linked university costs, others will just pay a portion of the pertinent college tuition and living expenses.
Although getting a volleyball scholarship to one of the top NCAA Division I programs is undoubtedly difficult, hundreds of institutions provide some kind of volleyball scholarship to players with a range of abilities.
Getting the appropriate amount of exposure is crucial if you want to win a volleyball scholarship.
Step 1: Improve your volleyball skills.
You have to be the best of the best to compete in college.
You should be highly skilled and qualified to play volleyball at the next level if you want to stand out among your rivals and get the coaches’ attention.
Learn the basics first, then advance. Your service comes first.
Your ability as a player will be demonstrated to coaches by a strong overhand serve.
Next, work on your hitting direction.
This is a crucial ability for games and will make you stand out from the opposition.
Be able to bump, set, and spike as well.
Last but not least, defensive plays like blocking are essential abilities that might make you a valuable player.
Make sure you’re using two hands to block.
College coaches may conclude that you are not yet ready to play at the next level if you consistently block with one hand.
It takes dedication and effort to become proficient in these talents.
Find camps and clinics by making contact. They offer great chances to put these abilities into practice.
Step 2: Participate in camps and clinics
Colleges, Nike, and sportswear manufacturers organize several volleyball camps and clinics every year.
They give you the chance to gain knowledge from the coaching staff at the universities that interest you.
Clinics can assist you with:
- Work on honing your abilities.
- acquire new skills, and
- Establish relationships with other volleyball players and college coaches.
Camps and clinics are very fulfilling, and they provide coaches with a better idea of your initiative and work ethic—two qualities that are highly regarded in the sports recruiting industry.
Coaches are interested in more than just strong athletic ability. They are looking to bring in players who will mesh well with their system. How, then, can college coaches learn more about your personality?
Step 3: Create a positive digital identity.
How do coaches evaluate a player’s “good character”?
College coaches are almost guaranteed to look you up on social media thanks to recent technological advancements.
They evaluate your character off the court using these platforms.
By projecting a positive, professional image across all of your social media sites and channels, you can win over coaches.
Coaches will be put off by explicit, improper behavior and content, which could harm your chances of receiving a scholarship.
Step 4: Perform well in class.
Coaches prefer student-athletes who are well-rounded, as should be obvious by this point.
Coaches are looking for student-athletes who can excel both on and off the field of play.
A strong academic record indicates to coaches that you have what it takes to thrive at the collegiate level.
Coaches may conclude that you are a smart player if you receive good grades.
Additionally, your eligibility is determined by your academic performance, making it a crucial component of the hiring process.
Step 5: Obtain eligibility
The eligibility centers and college coaches set requirements for both academic and athletic performance.
You must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center, just like every other prospective collegiate athlete, to find out if you are qualified academically to play volleyball in college.
However, you must register with the NAIA Eligibility Center if you want to play volleyball at a school recognized by the NAIA.
By registering for an eligibility center, the NJCAA and NCAA Division III do not require that you fulfill any particular requirements.
Instead, the institutions that you are interested in playing for want you to uphold specified criteria.
Students wishing to compete in Division I or Division II are the focus of the NCAA Eligibility Center.
It bases its decision on your eligibility on two factors: your GPA and your SAT or ACT score.
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of being an athlete on scholarship?
There are certain pros and cons to being a scholarship athlete, even though every athlete hopes to be able to continue playing the sport they love at a high level.
The most obvious advantage is that scholarship athletes will be able to continue competing at higher levels of competition and improving their abilities.
Additionally, the financial benefits that come with an athletic scholarship dramatically lower the cost of going to college and getting a degree.
For those who would not otherwise have the financial resources to be able to attend a high-quality college education, this financial aid is frequently crucial.
Recent statistics show that private institutions’ average tuition and fees for the 2017-2018 academic year were $34,740, public colleges’ average tuition and fees for in-state students were $9,970, and public universities’ average tuition and fees for out-of-state students were $25,620.
For the student-athlete and their families, even a modest athletic scholarship can help make tuition and fees more accessible.
The drawback of playing collegiate sports is that you will have more scholastic difficulties.
Practices (sometimes twice a day), games, and frequent travel are all part of the time devoted to the sport.
You must also maintain a certain grade point average to keep your athletic scholarship. The NCAA has additional educational criteria for student-athletes, which you may view here.
Stricter regulations will present another difficulty for student-athletes. Student-athletes must attend every class meeting (apart from those permissible absences due to competitions) to keep their scholarships, but other students are free to miss one or two classes without facing any repercussions.
Last but not least, you may probably miss a few lessons while competing or going on other vacations that involve extensive travel.
Despite the extra time and effort you put into representing your school as a student-athlete, some professors are sympathetic and understanding, while others are frequently just as strict.
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Prerequisites for volleyball scholarships
For athletes to be eligible for a volleyball scholarship, they must also complete academic and athletic requirements.
The majority of athletic standards are determined by the volleyball program at any given college.
The recruitment process is critical since each coach has a unique strategy for selecting which athletes to include on their roster.
If an athlete is unaware of what a college coach looks for athletically in that position, he or she should look at the roster.
Athletes must keep in mind, however, that each school has its own set of admissions standards. Each school has its own unique set of admission requirements, which are:
- The athlete must have completed 16 core courses with a minimum GPA of 2.3 and must have graduated from high school. The following are the prerequisites for core courses: Four years of English; three years of math (Algebra 1 or higher); two years of natural or physical science; two years of social science; an additional year of English; three additional years of math (Algebra 1 or higher); four years of religion; three additional years of philosophy; and three further years of any of the aforementioned subjects
- Athletes must complete 10 of the 16 required core courses by their junior year of high school.
- A minimum SAT or ACT score of 400 (math and reading only) or 37 (sum score) is required for athletes.
- They must fulfill the minimal standards for their SAT/ACT score and core-course GPA.
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How Many Volleyball Players from High Schools Receive College Scholarships?
1.2% of high school volleyball players will attend a Division 1 institution, and 5.9% of high school volleyball players will compete at the collegiate level.
This amounts to around 27,400 female volleyball players participating at all collegiate levels throughout the United States.
It’s impossible to say how many of the approximately 27,000 women are scholarship athletes.
Many other colleges lack the total financing that some do, prohibiting them from awarding the maximum number of scholarships to their athletes.
Furthermore, some players compete as walk-ons and are not given athletic scholarships.
Final Thought
To sum it up, getting a volleyball scholarship is not an easy task, but it is not impossible either.
You need to work hard on your volleyball skills, participate in camps and clinics, create a positive digital identity, perform well in class, and market yourself to college coaches.
By following these five steps, you will increase your chances of getting noticed by the coaches and earning a volleyball scholarship.
Remember, you are not only competing for a spot on the team but also for a spot in the classroom.
Therefore, you need to be a well-rounded student-athlete who can excel both on and off the court. Good luck with your volleyball journey!