July 12 | Volume 2023 – Issue 28

USMC/AVCA Battles Won Award

The AVCA and US Marine Corps. are looking to recognize a volleyball coach and athlete who overcame a significant obstacle during the past year. The nature of this obstacle can be physical, mental, or a combination of both. The selected winners will be provided round trip travel to the AVCA Convention this December in Tampa, Florida to be recognized and celebrated at the event. Click here to nominate a coach or athlete! Due by Friday, August 4. If you have any questions, please contact Brad Wilson at bradley.wilson@avca.org.

Volleyball Market Manager, Ali Carey-Oliver, will review how to set up teams in GameChanger, conduct basic live-streaming, scoring, communication and scheduling. Join us as we take you step-by-step through this user-friendly app. For millions of users, the most important game of the week is the one your child is playing in. GameChanger connects families to the court no matter where they are. We bring the game home to those who can’t be there. By attending this webinar, you will receive an opportunity to win a community pass for your team ($250 value). REGISTER

Former college coach Molly Grisham will present a Webinar on Trauma and Student-Athletes. Molly is now a consultant who works with teams all over the country on topics like leadership development, team building, creating high-performing culture, and conflict resolution. In this Webinar, Molly will do a deep dive into one of the topics in her new online course called Coach Ready. She will help you define trauma, understand types of trauma, learn how ACE scores impact a young person, reframe triggers, build an awareness of how trauma may be impacting your team, and give you action items you can put into practice right away. This Webinar is relevant for coaches of all levels and at all stages in their careers. REGISTER

Subscribe to The BIC for the latest in Men’s and Boys Volleyball! Contact Brad Wilson, AVCA Director of Men and Boys Volleyball, to be added to the mailing list. Click here for back issues.

Exclusive Discounted Offers through Volleyball World for AVCA Members

In partnership with Volleyball World, the AVCA is offering reduced pricing so you can watch 2023 VNL matches both online and in person. Association members can get 20% off online passes to Volleyball World TV, which is broadcasting every VNL match. Additionally, you can save 15% of tickets for the rounds that will take place in the United States this July. Click below for exclusive pricing offers for AVCA members:

• 20% OFF all passes with the promo code AVCA when subscribing to volleyballword.tv
• 15% OFF any tickets to the Women’s Finals in Arlington, TX, July 12-16

The U.S. women’s national team plays in the quarterfinals vs. Japan tonight in Arlington, TX, at 8:30 pm (ET). The semifinals are Saturday, and the final is Sunday. Tickets are still available & AVCA members get 15% off!

The U.S. Women finished the preliminary round of VNL in second place. Their only losses were to Japan and China and both scores were 3-2. The U.S. Women are the reigning Olympic champions and ranked No. 1 in the world. They have won the VNL three times (2018, ’19, ’21) since its inception in 2018. Click here for full VNL schedule.

The U.S. Men’s National Team finished preliminary round play in the Volleyball Nations League on Sunday night with a 3-0 win over Bulgaria (29-27, 25-19, 25-21). The win vaulted the U.S. Men (10-2) to first place in the final preliminary VNL standings. They now move on to the VNL Final Round in Gdansk, Poland, and will play No. 8 seed France in the quarterfinals on July 19. Last year, the U.S. Men won the VNL silver medal. Full schedule.

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.

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The Valley Heat League Grows Rapidly in California’s Central Valley Community

The Valley Heat League in Fresno, California was founded in 2021, forming a Girls League and Boys League in the first year. The Girls Valley Heat League began with 10 clubs and 49 teams, and then experienced significant growth in the following years, expanding to 14 clubs and 74 teams in 2022 and to 26 clubs and 149 teams in 2023, reflecting the rising popularity and participation in the sport within California’s central valley community. The Boys Valley Heat League is slowly growing with 13 clubs and 38 teams in 2022. Learn more about the logistics, format and goals of the league.

NEW AWARD: AVCA Winners Circle Club – Celebrate Your Club Teams!

AVCA Winners Circle Club will recognize outstanding club teams (girls and boys, all age groups) with 70% or higher season winning percentage and national competition. Club Director or team coach must be an AVCA member. Nomination deadline extended to July 17! Questions? Contact Alice Rogers.

REGISTER NOW for the 2023 AVCA Coach of the Year Super Clinic!

This year’s clinic will feature 40+ pre-recorded on-court virtual sessions July 28 to August 2; plus debut a day of in-person sessions on July 29 at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The in-person sessions will also be live-streamed to virtual attendees. Register here!

Sessions will feature head & assistant coaches from the following teams:

• University of San Diego
• West Texas A&M
• New Bremen High School
• Ball State University
• University of Kansas
• University of Northern Colorado
• University of Wyoming
• … AND MORE!

2023 AVCA Affiliate Partner States Coaches Clinics

Don’t miss your state’s coaching education clinic! Register now for:

• THSCA (Texas): July 16
• AHSAA (Alabama): July 20-21
• GHVCA (Houston): July 21
• KVCA (Kentucky): July 22
• IHSVCA (Indiana): July 23
• NMHSCA (New Mexico): July 24-26
• NMHSCA (New Mexico): July 24-26
• NCA (Nebraska): July 25-27
• MNVBCA (Minnesota): July 26-27
• WVCA (Wisconsin): August 4-5
• MAVCA (Massachusetts): August 13

Nominate for 2023 AVCA All-America and Phenom Watchlists!

• The AVCA Phenom Watch List is for the top underclassmen high school athletes who have received some recognition for their outstanding volleyball play. All uncommitted athletes on the Phenom Watch List will be invited to participate in the AVCA Phenom College Prep Program, which will take place December 14-16, 2023, in Tampa, FL.
• The AVCA High School All-America Watch List is for the top Seniors who have received some recognition for their outstanding volleyball play. These athletes must have earned some form of recognition such as, but not limited to: All-District, All-Region, All-State, PrepVolleyball Ranking List, USAV HP Volleyball Team, etc. Learn more here.

2023 USA Volleyball Men’s Beach Collegiate Challenge – Signups Now Available!

The USA Volleyball Men’s Beach Collegiate Challenge is returning to Stevenson University on September 15-17. Entry Requirements:

• Be eligible to compete for the United States
• Be a currently registered member of USAV
• Be at least 18 and less than 25 years of age on September 17, 2023

Athletes on a pair can be from different colleges/university. Register online!

Save the Date: AVCA Fall Collegiate Beach Championships

Huntsville, Alabama, will be the site of the Second Annual AVCA Fall Collegiate Beach Championships November 3-5, 2023. The championships will feature a women’s pairs national championship and a men’s team national championship. The women’s tournament will consist of 64 pairs selected from college beach teams across the country. The men’s event will bring four schools to Huntsville to compete for the first men’s collegiate beach team national championship. More information coming soon!

Sign Up to Become an Official!

Want to stay close to the sports you love? Support students in your community? Make a meaningful difference? Then sign up to become an official! We need more volleyball officials, and you could make the perfect fit! #BecomeAnOfficial

We had a mission when we developed the MasterCoaches Wednesday Weekly BUZZ… to provide our viewers a chance to hear from our leaders in our sport who would come on our show to answer questions that address current issues and trends in volleyball. Check out the latest MasterCoaches content on Facebook or volleyballmastercoaches.com. Catch our next live show on August 26th, just at the start of the Women’s NCAA season!

Volleyball Coaches Insider – latest educational content includes:

• Fundamentals of Blocking with Jim Stone
• Attacker: Decision and Execution Errors with Travis Hudson – Western Kentucky Univ.
• Point the Finger at Yourself FirstBy: John Klessinger, Head Wrestling Coach – South River High School (MD)
• 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:

• Assistant Coach – University of Louisville (Louisville, KY)
• CARA Volleyball Coach – Foothills Park and Recreation District (Colorado)
• Women’s Volleyball, Assistant Coach, Part-time Adjunct Pool – IWVKern Community College District (Ridgecrest, CA)
• Women’s Volleyball, Head Coach, Part-time Adjunct Pool – IWVKern Community College District (Ridgecrest, CA)
• Assistant Volleyball Coach – Upper Iowa University (Fayette, IA)
• Associate Director – Coach – Wave Volleyball (Del Mar, CA)
• Head Women’s Volleyball Coach – Lees-McRae College (Banner Elk, NC)
• Assistant Men’s Volleyball Coach – Juniata College (Huntingdon, PA)
• Assistant Volleyball Coach – Abilene Christian University (Abilene, TX)
• Assistant Volleyball Coach – University of Tennessee – Chattanooga (Chattanooga, TN)
• Assistant Beach Volleyball Coach – Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL)

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

Delaware State University has announced the hiring of David Brooks as the new head coach of the defending MEAC champion women’s volleyball team.

Rachel Refenes is the new head volleyball coach at Wabash Valley College.

Sean Cleary named Franciscan University Women’s Volleyball Head Coach.

Abilene Christian found a familiar face to take the reins of its volleyball program, announcing that Wildcat Hall of Famer Ijeoma (IJ) Moronu Alstrup will be the new head coach.

Centralia College names Ceanna Larson new Volleyball Coach.

Carissa Bounds named Head Women’s Volleyball Coach at Evergreen State College.

Emmanuel College is pleased to announce the full-time appointment of Bori May as Head Coach to the Men’s & Women’s Volleyball programs.

Rockhurst University announced that [AVCA Thirty Under 30 Beach, 2021] Corey Marks has been hired as the first-ever men’s volleyball head coach. Marks will begin recruiting this summer to get his first squad ready for the 2024-25 academic year.

Xavier ULA removes interim label from athletics boss Pat Kendrick, who will continue to also serve as head volleyball coach.

Missouri Valley College announces the hiring of Antonija Cooper as the new head coach for the women’s volleyball program.

Emily Thebeau Butler returns to Greenville as head men’s volleyball coach.

Dayanna Barbosa promoted to Polk State Volleyball Head Coach.

John O’Donoghue hired as Head Coach of Maritime College Volleyball.

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