August 23, 2023

REGISTER TODAY – 2023 AVCA Convention in Tampa, Florida!

AVCA Convention registration for our event in TAMPA, December 13-17, is now open! Sign up by 9/15 to save $100, plus get early access to discounted hotel rooms and NCAA match tickets.

The AVCA is now accepting applications and contributions for the 2023 AVCA Coaches 4 Coaches Scholarship program! Coaches 4 Coaches provides scholarships, through contributions from AVCA members, to young coaches and recent college graduates who are interested in pursuing a career in volleyball coaching & attending their first AVCA Convention. Applications due Monday, October 2. Not eligible? Consider donating to helping another coach get started.

The AVCA Diversity Award Program is a key component of the AVCA Diversity Development Team’s efforts to advance the sport, engage coaches as leaders, and substantive change for society and the volleyball community. The Program is supported by the AVCA Silent Auction and donations from the AVCA community. Apply here! For more information, please contact Kennedy Wells at 866-544-2822.

AVCA All-America & Phenom Watch Lists Published August 28 | Nominate Your Athletes by August 25!

• The AVCA Phenom Watch List is for the top underclassmen high school athletes who have received some recognition for their outstanding volleyball play.
• The AVCA High School All-America Watch List is for the top Seniors who have received some recognition for their outstanding volleyball play.

AVCA/USA Today Girls High School Super 25 Poll

• August 23

AVCA/USA Today Girls High School Regional Top 10

• August 23

The AVCA/USA TODAY Super 25 and Regional Top 10 will be released weekly during the fall girls volleyball season. Rankings are based on results from the current season and determined by AVCA member coaches.

MaxPreps/AVCA High School Player of the Week

• Week 1 (August 21)

Each week, MaxPreps and the AVCA recognize deserving high school student-athletes who have demonstrated outstanding play on the court throughout the week of competition. Want your athletes considered for Player of the Week? Update their stats in your free MaxPreps account! Questions? Contact Alex Fitzmorris-Sorn.

Follow AVCA on your favorite social media platforms, including our new TikTok account, for the latest volleyball updates, polls, and fun videos!

NAIA Women’s Volleyball Coaches Top 25

• Preseason Rating, August 16

NJCAA Volleyball Rankings

• Division I: Preseason, August 14
• Division II: Preseason, August 14
• Division III: Preseason, August 14

2023 TicketSmarter-NWAC Volleyball Coaches’ Poll

• Preseason – August 18

*Collegiate Partner polls are conducted by their respective organizations, not managed by AVCA.

Volleyball TV options “gigantic positive for the collegiate women’s game”

ESPN announced last week that a whopping and unprecedented 2,500-plus matches will be shown across its various linear cable-TV and streaming platforms during the upcoming collegiate season. Significantly, the flagship ESPN channel and cable sibling ESPN2 will play a bigger role in that coverage, meaning that casual viewers in greater numbers have the opportunity to become invested in the sport during the regular season.

This should be seen as a gigantic positive for the collegiate women’s game. ESPN chose to provide more consistent exposure on channels with high visibility, demonstrating a greater confidence that women’s sports in general, and volleyball in particular, can generate viewership in a crowded and highly fractured TV landscape. Much more from Volleyballmag.com.

College-Bound Student-Athlete Resources

The 2023-24 edition of NCAA’s Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete is a great resource for questions on Eligibility Center registration and initial-eligibility requirements. Read here.

Also, here are volleyball recruiting calendars for 23-24:

• Division I Women
• Division II (all sports excluding FB, BB)
• Division I Beach

NCCAA Announces DI Host Site Through 2026-27

The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) announces an agreement with College of the Ozarks (CofO) to continue as host for the Division I Women’s Volleyball National Championship for the 2024-25 through 2026-27 academic years. The championship will be held on the College of the Ozarks campus in the Keeter Athletic Complex, which features seating for 2,600 with over 800 chairback seats in the lower bowl. Read more.

Volleyball Day in Nebraska – Countdown to August 30!

Schedule:

• 4:30 pm: University of Nebraska-Kearney vs. Wayne State College (exhibition match). As of publication, no streaming info available.
• 7:00 pm: Nebraska vs. Omaha (regular season match). Will air on Big Ten Network/Fox Sports and Husker Radio Network.
• Tickets have sold out, but some are available through resale markets.

Media coverage here:

• Full info from Nebraska athletics
• Volleyball Day in Nebraska looks to set records — and set the record straight on women’s sports
• UNO Coach Matt Buttermore on learning he’d coach a volleyball match at Memorial Stadium

Attendance records (set to be broken):

• DI National Championship: 18,755 Wisconsin def. Nebraska for the national title in 2021
• Regular-season NCAA volleyball: 16,833 Wisconsin vs. Florida Sept. 16, 2022
• Record attendance for ALL women’s sporting events in the US: 90,185, set at the 1999 Women’s World Cup Final between the U.S. and China at Rose Bowl Stadium.

League One Volleyball (LOVB) Adds Omaha Pro Team

League One Volleyball (LOVB) announced that Omaha, Nebraska will become home to its fifth professional team. The new team will have close ties to one of LOVB’s youth clubs, Premier Nebraska. The league’s pro athletes will train alongside the club’s players, giving club athletes the opportunity to learn from and build stronger ties with pro players. LOVB’s robust pro roster includes Justine Wong-Orantes and Kelsey Robinson, who both hail from the University of Nebraska. The league also has a relationship with NIL athletes like Lindsay Krause, Lexi Rodriguez and Harper Murray. The league recently announced pro team locations in Madison, Salt Lake, Atlanta and Houston, and recently signed some of the most recognized and lauded athletes to its roster including Lauren Carlini and Olympians Jordan Thompson, Micha Hancock, Carli Lloyd and Jordyn Poulter. Read more.

PVF Orlando Announces Team Name, President/COO

It was a historic day for the city of Orlando and professional volleyball, with the unveiling of the Orlando Valkyries, member club of the brand-new Pro Volleyball Federation. The team is owned by Florida entrepreneur David Forman and will begin play in January 2024. The Orlando Valkyries have also named leading sports marketing and management executive George Manias as President and Chief Operating Officer of the franchise. Read more.

Volleyballmag.com recapped all the recent news in U.S. pro leagues, and interviewed the owners of Dallas and Grand Rapids PVF teams. Read here.

Are beach volleyball and indoor the same? IHSAA says, yes.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association has ruled indoor and beach volleyball should be considered the same sport under its bylaws. This contradicts both the NFHS and AVCA guidance and recent rulings on the matter in Ohio and Missouri, and prohibits high school athletes from participating in beach events during their high school season, lest they lose a year of eligibility. The decision was made after parents of a dual sport athlete requested guidance on IHSAA bylaws regarding competition in a different sport during the high school season. More reporting here from the Indianapolis Star.

Register for the 2023 USA Volleyball Men’s Beach Collegiate Challenge

• September 15-17, Owings Mills, MD at Stevenson University
• Cost: $200 + fees per team & 1 coach
• The Beach Collegiate Challenge will provide student-athletes the opportunity to be scouted for future Beach National Team Development Programs. In addition, participating athletes will earn both USAV and AVP points.
• The competition will consist of a 32-team main draw. (8 pools of 4 pairs.) Top three pairs from each pool will reach knock-out round. Each pair is guaranteed at least three matches.
• Click here for eligibility requirements and to register.

SIAC Approved for NCAA Tournament Auto Bid

The NCAA Division Competition Oversight Committee at its recent meeting approved the SIAC receiving an automatic bid to the Division I-II men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament starting in 2024. The automatic bid was awarded to the SIAC, despite the Division II conference not meeting the two-year eligibility waiting period. The committee opted to provide the SIAC a waiver because of the conference’s commitment to expansion after losing one of its original men’s volleyball programs. It also recognized the SIAC’s efforts at “fostering growth and diversity in a region that has had little representation” in NCAA men’s volleyball, according to the committee’s meeting minutes. The 2024 season will be the SIAC’s third season. Read the full press release.

• Coaching the Mental Side of the High School Athlete: This webinar will delve into the strategies, techniques, and approaches that coaches, parents, and athletes themselves can use to enhance mental resilience, self confidence, and concentration on and off the court. Register here! Presenter: Kelly Naugle, Associate Professor IUPUI
• Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) is a sports development model that focuses on the physical, cognitive, and emotional development of athletes over a prolonged period of time. The goal of LTAD is to promote lifelong physical activity and athletic performance while reducing the risk of injury and burnout. Register here! Presenter: Mario Raden, Coastal VA Volleyball/Tidewater Volleyball Association Strength & Conditioning Coach

On-Demand Access: 2023 AVCA Coach of the Year Super Clinic

Missed the Coach of the Year Super Clinic? Access to watch all sessions on-demand is available for purchase! Check out the on-court virtual sessions created by current and past AVCA Coach of the Year award winners, plus all attendees receive access to Volleyball Coaches Insider +Plus, which is the home of 2021 and 2022 AVCA Super Clinics and other great full-length clinic sessions. Want a preview? Check out this clip: Hourglass Ball Control Drill with Jenny Glenn – Metropolitan State Univ. of Denver

Prevent AVCA newsletters, awards information, educational offerings and other updates from going to your spam folder: Fill out this form and designate mailer@infusionmail.com as a safe sender to ensure that you’re getting the most out of your membership!

Deadline approaching to apply for the JVA Challenge Series powered by i6

Unite your tournament with the nation’s elite events and apply for the JVA Challenge Series. The deadline is August 31st. Learn more and apply here.

U.S. Women Take Down Mexico at 2023 Pan Am Cup Final Six

The U.S. Women’s National Team won its third straight match on Tuesday, defeating Mexico 3-0 at the NORCECA Pan Am Cup Final Six in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The U.S. (3-0) is set to face Cuba (1-1) on Wednesday, but may be rescheduled due to Tropical Storm Franklin. Teams from Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Puerto Rico are competing. Read more here.

U.S. Men Finish Pan Am Cup in Fifth

The U.S. Men’s Team competing at the Pan American Cup finished in fifth place after sweeping Colombia (25-18, 25-20, 25-15) on Sunday in Guadalajara, Mexico. The U.S. finished the tournament with a 3-1 record. Stats here.

2023 NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship – Coming to West Virginia!

2023 NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship presented by USA Volleyball is coming to Charleston, West Virginia on Sept. 5-10, 2023. Teams competing at the Continental Championship will receive points toward their world rankings, which will help determine who qualifies for the 2024 Olympic Games. Learn more about the event and purchase tickets here.

Paul Sunderland, Emily Ehman join VBM to preview start of NCAA volleyball season

VolleyballMag.com editor Lee Feinswog is joined by ESPN play-by-play legend Paul Sunderland and the Big Ten Network’s Emily Ehman just three days before the start of the 2023 NCAA volleyball season. Watch here!

The MasterCoaches are back! During the first live show this summer, the panel will be discussing the start of the NCAA Women’s Division I season. Watch on Facebook or volleyballmastercoaches.com on August 23!

Volleyball Coaches Insider – latest educational content includes:

• Multi-Purpose Drill with Jen DeJarld – Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School (IL)
• Setters Key: Hands Up on Time with Luka Slabe – North Carolina State Univ.
• Acknowledgement Rule By: Mike Hebert
• Click here for more Volleyball articles and videos!

Need information for your own contract negotiation or job hunt? Click here for the latest AVCA Salary Survey and AVCA Career Center resources. (2023 salary surveys will be conducted this summer.)

AVCA Career Center: Find Your Next Job or Hire a Coach

The online AVCA Career Center allows job posters to advertise a job opening, search resumes, manage candidates, and market open positions. Job seekers have the opportunity to post a resume, search for open positions, create job alert notifications, and access free career management resources. Click here to get started! Recent job listings include:

• Women’s Volleyball, Assistant Coach, Part-time Adjunct Pool – IWV Kern Community College District (Ridgecrest, CA)
• Women’s Volleyball, Head Coach, Part-time Adjunct Pool – IWV Kern Community College District (Ridgecrest, CA)
• Volleyball Instructor – The University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC)
• Head Girls Volleyball Coach – Rankin High School (Rankin, TX)

Contact Alice Rogers to report a coaching transaction for publication in At the Net.

Lonnie Rinell has been hired as the Knox College Head Volleyball Coach.

UAB has announced the promotion of Delaney Clesen as the new head coach of the Blazers’ beach volleyball program.

Steven Verbridge announced as next Head Coach of Men’s Volleyball program at Finger Lakes Community College.

Lauren Nieraeth joins College of Alameda to lead the Cougar’s women’s volleyball team.

Gwynedd Mercy is pleased to announce that Lauren Yancer has accepted the appointment as the Griffins’ head women’s volleyball coach.

Dawn Barnes named Phoenix College’s Head Volleyball Coach.

Pratt Institute has announced the appointment of Alexander Moule as Head Men’s and Women’s Volleyball Coach.

Raphael Lima Seabra has been hired as Grand View Men’s Volleyball Head Coach.