The AFFILIATIONS newsletter is a forum for exchange and gives all AVCA high school/interscholastic member coaches an opportunity to learn what’s happening in these affiliate states.
May 30, 2024
“SUMMER IS HERE!! It’s time to submit your Team Academic & Phenom Watch List Nominations, and get ready for next season with a coaches clinic.”
Nominations to the 2024 AVCA Team Academic Award are open now until July 2! High school and collegiate VARSITY teams qualify with an average 3.30 GPA on 4.0 scale or better for the entire 2023-2024 academic year (or 4.10 on a 5.00 scale, or 82 on a 100-pt scale).
Girls/Women, Boys/Men, and Beach teams are all eligible! Coach multiple programs? Please complete a separate nomination for each team.
Nominations to the 2024 AVCA Phenom List and AVCA All-America Watch List are open! Both lists will be published on August 26, 2024. The student-athlete’s high school head coach must be an active AVCA member to be nominated. Uncommitted athletes on the both list are invited to participate in the Phenom College Prep Program.
Phenom is for underclassman student-athletes(2026, 2027 or 2028 grad year) who have received significant external recognition for their outstanding volleyball
All-America is for top Seniors(2025 grad year) who have received significant external recognition for their outstanding volleyball play
Nominations for the 2024 AVCA Boys High School All-American, AVCA Best & Brightest Awards are now OPEN! Completed nominations are due by Tuesday, June 4.
The MaxPreps/AVCA National Players of the Week honor the best high school girls and boys from numerous states/regions throughout the volleyball season. Keep your athlete’s stats updated inMaxPrepsto be eligible.
REGISTER NOW for the BEST RATES with early registration for the 2024 AVCA Coach of the Year Virtual Super Clinic, and get ready for your next season. Registration includes on-demand access to the 2024 Super Clinic’s new sessions, plus access to Volleyball Coaches Insider +Plus, home of the 2023, 2022 and 2021 AVCA Super Clinics and other great full-length clinic sessions filmed in states across the country. Learn more.
Danielle Lueckenhoff(Class 3 – Blair Oaks High School)
Shane Weber(Class 4 – Incarnate Word Academy)
Zach Young (Class 5 – Lafayette High School)
Coach Weber was also named 2011-12 MHSVCA Coach of the Year (Class 3), and Coach Young was named 2022-23 MHSVCA/NFHS Coach of the Year.
Congratulations to Overton High School Head Coach Hayley Ryan on receiving the Nebraska Coaches Association (NCA) – Hudl Coach of the Year award.
Portsmouth Abbey School Girls Volleyball Head Coach John Huynh is the 2023 NEPSAC Eastern Independent League (EIL) Volleyball Coach of the Year. Mr. Huynh started the Portsmouth Abbey School Volleyball program as a club team in 2017. The popularity and level of skill in players allowed the sport to move to the Varsity level the next year. The program won the New England Sportsmanship Award 2X’s in five years, won the EIL Championship and competed for in both the EIL and New England Championship. (*NEPSAC does not have a Coach of the Year award, it is only awarded within NEPSAC’s EIL).
The New Mexico High School Coaches Association Coaches of the Year: Volleyball is Esther Lorenz. During her time as the Laguna Acoma Volleyball Head Coach, Lorenz has produced a winning record at the state level, and led numerous athletes to achieve All-Star and Player of the Year honors.
This month’s AVCA #InspireSportsmanship featured story recognizes the Tioga High School Volleyball Team led by Head Coach Andrea Osbourn (Tioga, TX). The Tioga High School Volleyball Team was great on the court this year, but last month they were recognized for their sportsmanship. The Texas Association of Sports Officials (TASO) Red River Volleyball Chapter presented the team with the Dean French Scholarship Award for the player’s and the fan’s treatment of officials and sportsmanship during the volleyball season.
#InspireSportsmanshipis a new campaign through the AVCA High School Leadership Council that spotlights stories of girls and boys volleyball players, coaches and teams displaying exceptional sportsmanship. Submit your storiesof inspirational sportsmanship!!
Congratulations to the below 2024 Georgia Boys Volleyball High School State Champions!! CLICK HERE to the view the Championship Photo Gallery and see a list of GA boys HS teams/coaches.
Allatoona (A Division) – Coach Amy Roper
South Gwinnett (B Division) – Coach Morgan Billinger
Boys volleyball is a sanctioned high-school sport in 36 states, but not Georgia. There are 38 club high school teams across Georgia, and while the number is growing, some don’t think it’s growing quickly enough. Read more.
GHVCA Preseason Watch List nominations are currently open. You must be a member in good standing at the time of nomination, selection and announcement of the 2024-25 Preseason team. Learn more.
The Illinois Volleyball Coaches Association (IVCA) announced their 2024 IVCA/Great Lakes Region (GLR) All-State and All-Academic Teams. Thank you to all the coaches who nominated their athletes. Learn more.
The Illinois Volleyball State Tournament is underway with the State Finals this weekend, May 31 – June 1, at Hoffman Estates. Good luck to all the teams competing in the Sectional Finals, match times below!!
The Kansas Boys Volleyball HS/MS Team latest rankings were released May 29. The top ranked HS Varsity teams according to the Kansas City HS Boys Volleyball League are below:
The Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association celebrated the KVCA Boys All-State Teams on the court prior to the Kentucky Boys Volleyball State Championship Match at Western Hills HS on May 23.
The rosters have been finalized for the 40th West Nebraska All-Star volleyball clash on June 1, at 3pm, in the Cougar Palace on the Western Nebraska Community College campus. The event features top athletes from the western half of the state who graduated this spring.
A record-setting 110 coaches attended the 10th Annual 2024 New York Volleyball Coaches Association (NYVCA) Coaches Clinic on May 17-18, in Lake George. Thank you to all the coaches who attended, including the presenters: University of Wisconsin Women’s Volleyball Head Coach Kelly Sheffield; Brazil’s Minas Tenis Volleyball Coach Dega da Gama, and Vassar College Men’s Volleyball Head Coach Richard Gary – your love of the game, willingness to learn and enthusiasm for coaching is incredible!!
North Carolina Volleyball Coaches Association
NC Boys Volleyball All-State
Congratulations to the North Carolina Boys Volleyball NCISAA (private school) All-State Awardsrecognizing student-athletes and First Team Coach Stephen Keefer (Covenant Day).
The North Carolina Boys Volleyball NCHSAA Schools All-State Tournament Teams were also announced recognizing student-athletes and First Team Coaches Kyle Michael (Marvin Ridge) and Sarah Conklin (Weddington).
The Indiana High School Volleyball Coaches Association (IHSVCA) released the schedule for their Annual Coaches Clinic on Sunday, July 28, at Cathedral High School. The clinic features two AVCA DI Coaches of the Year – Dani Busboom Kelly (Louisville WVB) and Donan Cruz (Ball State MVB).
Roncalli coached by Nick Jennings won the Indiana Boys Volleyball Coaches Association State Championship held Saturday, May 25, at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
It took 32 years, but boys volleyball will become an official IHSAA sanctioned sport next spring.
Massachusetts Volleyball Coaches Association
Massachusetts Boys High School Volleyball Host Bracket Challenge
The MIAA boys’ volleyball tournament bracket is out, with 39 teams in the Division 1 field and 46 more in Division 2. MassHSVb is giving fans the opportunity to participate in their bracket challenge at the links below. The state finals are scheduled for Thursday, June 13, at Worcester State.
Defending champion Needham is the Div. 1 top seed, but No. 2 Newton North has two regular season victories over the Rockets. In Div. 2, the difference between the top three and the rest of the field is even greater. Wayland (3.0482) is nearly a full point clear of North Middlesex (2.0809).
The Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association took several actions during its Spring Meeting, May 5-6 in Gaylord, including approving the addition of boys volleyball and girls field hockey to the lineup of MHSAA-sponsored tournament sports beginning in 2025-26. Read more.
Jenny Kilkelly and Krista Flemming were recently featured in a story “The women behind high school boys volleyball.” Their story is a success story about two moms and business women ignited a passion for boys volleyball in Minnesota. Now seven years later, the Minnesota HS Boys Volleyball Association is in its final season with 82 schools and 2,500 boys playing. Boys volleyball will play its first season as an sanctioned sport in Spring 2025. Read their story.
Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association
The 1st ever Missouri State High School Athletic Association (MSHSAA) Boys Volleyball Championships were held at Maryville University. Congratulations to LafayetteHigh School coached by Whitney Ralph on winning the State Finals held May 22.
Farmington HS Girls Volleyball Coach Lars Baker does take his time between seasons lightly, and is leading a number of local and area high school athletes in a quest to grow boys volleyball across the state of New Mexico. 18 schools statewide offer boys volleyball, and Baker with the New Mexico HS Boys Volleyball Association is hoping to attract athletes and attention to the sport.
The 2024 Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association (OHSVCA) Coaches Clinic is Friday, June 7 from 9-4 at Westerville South High School. Jen Flynn Oldenburg, the Head Coach at Ohio State, and Monica Wright from Otterbein will be presenting.
The South Dakota volleyball team will be hosting six camps in July for kids as young as kindergarten through high school seniors. The camps are designed to train their skills with help from the Coyote volleyball team on their home court in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. Learn more.
According to the WIAA, volleyball was actually a spring sport in Wisconsin for many years before being moved to the fall in the mid-1960’s. “Every state except for us and Texas, boys volleyball is in the spring,” said Marquette HS head coach Jake Cossons. “I think there are opportunities missed with us being in the fall.” Read more.
Texas High School Coaches Association – Volleyball
Don’t miss the chance to participate in one of the best coaching experiences at the THSCA Convention & Coaching School is July 21-23, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center (San Antonio, TX). The THSCA Convention draws an attendance of over 16,000 coaches, athletic administrators and exhibitors. Learn more.
2024 AVCA Victory Club – Nominations Now AcceptedThe AVCA recognizes all member head coaches who have reached milestone career wins of 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, or 1,000+ matches at their current level of coaching. Winners will be recognized at the 2024 AVCA Annual Convention in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Setting Window with Zach Weinberg (Tennessee Tech Univ.)
Setting a Ball Close to the Net with Steve Pike (SUNY Brockport)
Remedy for Hitting the Ball into the Net with Joe Sagula (Retired – University of North Carolina)
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