At the Net: July 5,2023

July 5 | Volume 2023 – Issue 27

NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship Final to Air on ABC; Match Moved to Sunday, Dec. 17

The NCAA announced that the final of the 2023 Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship has been moved from Saturday night to Sunday, Dec. 17 at 3 pm ET to accommodate the match being shown on ABC. The semifinal matches will still take place on Thursday, Dec. 14, starting at 7 pm at Tampa’s AMALIE Arena, scheduled to air on ESPN. Read the ESPN press release.

“This great news represents a big step forward for the championship,” says AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. “The additional exposure through having the marquee match of the Division I women’s season on network television is a recognition of the momentum that the sport of volleyball has right now. We are grateful for all the hard work from many leaders throughout our community that has led to this moment.”

Since the AVCA Convention is held in conjunction with the Division I Women’s Championship, moving the final to Sunday will potentially impact convention-goers. The AVCA is working with the Tampa Sports Commission on the convention schedule regarding activities the city is planning around the championship. More details will be forthcoming, as the AVCA looks ahead to the launch of Convention registration and match ticket sales on Wednesday, Aug. 9.

The American Volleyball Coaches Association is pleased to welcome it’s new CEO, Dr. Jaime Gordon. Gordon has spent the past 20 years in athletics at Morehead State where he became the winningest coach in the school’s history in any sport before ascending to the athletics director chair in 2019. His leadership skills led him to excel at fundraising, facility improvements, and critical partnerships.

“The role of executive director requires a unique combination of coaching and administrative experience. Dr. Jaime Gordon comes to the AVCA as a dedicated and successful professional in both spaces,” said Keegan Cook, president of the AVCA Board of Directors and head women’s volleyball coach at Minnesota. “Jaime’s decision to pivot from his role as a successful sitting DI athletic director and dedicate himself wholly to the AVCA is one that I certainly respect. I feel this is a moment of celebration that the sport of volleyball and the AVCA has grown to a position where we can attract a candidate as qualified and experienced as Jaime.”

“I am overwhelmed by this incredible opportunity to serve the sport of volleyball and the profession of coaching as the executive director of the AVCA,” said Gordon. “I am grateful for the trust that Keegan and the Board have placed in me to lead an association that has profoundly influenced me and thousands of other coaches for the past four decades. The concept of succeeding Kathy DeBoer is daunting. She has been a role model for coaching, administering, and leading others. I pledge to tirelessly continue to advance and protect the vision started by AVCA founders Terry Liskevych and Andy Banachowski 42 years ago, nurtured by Sandy Vivas, and developed by Kathy for the past 17 years.”

Gordon has been a consistent contributor and leader in the AVCA, serving on the DI Head Coaches Committee, chairing the marketing subcommittee, presenting numerous convention sessions, and founding the Coaches 4 Coaches scholarship award. He was also the first DI coach in the region to convince his president to add a women’s beach volleyball team.

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—men’s prelims in Anaheim and women’s finals in Arlington. 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 Men’s Prelim Round in Anaheim, CA, July 4-9
15% OFF any tickets to the Women’s Finals in Arlington, TX, July 12-16

The U.S. Men’s National Team swept Poland, the top-ranked team in the world, 3-0 to complete a perfect 4-0 Week 2 of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) preliminary round in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The U.S. moved to 7-1 in VNL play this season and is in second place in the overall standings behind undefeated Japan. The U.S. Men have ascended to No. 2 in the world rankings.

Don’t miss Week 3 matches in Anaheim, California! Attending in person? Get discounted tickets here!

July 5 USA vs Cuba
July 7 USA vs Argentina
July 8 USA vs France
July 9 USA vs Bulgaria
Full schedule

On Sunday, the U.S. Women’s National Team dropped its Volleyball Nations League (VNL) final preliminary round match to China, 3-2 , in Suwon, Korea. The U.S. team completed preliminary round play with a 10-2 record, placing second behind Poland. The 2023 Women’s VNL Final Round will be played July 12-16 at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. 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.

U.S. Women’s Sitting Team Wins Dutch Tournament; U.S. Men Place Third

The U.S. Women’s and Men’s Sitting National Teams completed strong performances at the Dutch Tournament in Assen, Netherlands, with the women’s team successfully defending its title and the men doubling their win total from last year and finishing third. Read more here.

Women’s Sitting National Team: 2-0

USA def. Great Britain, 3-0
USA def. Canada, 3-2.

Men’s Sitting National Team: 1-1

USA def. Great Britain, 3-1
Ukraine def. USA, 3-2

USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award Nominations Due July 5!

High school and collegiate VARSITY teams will qualify if they were able to average a 3.30 GPA on 4.0 scale or better for the entire 2022-2023 academic year. Full details and FAQs here. HEAD COACH must be a current AVCA member. Join or Renew online. Need help with your account? Contact members@avca.org. Questions? Need a deadline extension? Contact Alice Rogers.

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!

Business Solutions: The Responsibilities and Impact of a Director of Communication

Last Summer, Janelle Didion approached Empowered Volleyball Academy Club Directors Will and Ashlee Robbins and presented the idea of adding a Director of Communication and Quality Assurance, a new role for the club that was continuing to grow in membership (475 indoor and 100 beach athletes). Learn about the job description, role and impact the Director of Communication has on the club.

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. Nominations due July 10. 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!

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 AVCA Affiliate Partner Coaches Clinics

Don’t miss your state’s coaching education clinic! More details here.

Register now for:

THSCA (Texas): July 16-18
GHVCA (Houston): July 21
KVCA (Kentucky): July 22
IHSVCA (Indiana): July 23
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

Save the date:

AHSAA (Alabama): July 20-21
NMHSCA (New Mexico): July 24-26

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

Six Rotations Offseason Special (Top-20 Transfers, PLUS: Minnesota’s Kylie Murr)

Daniel and Mick check in as we hear about the top transfers in the offseason, headlined by the Power Trio of Wisconsin, Nebraska, & Penn State! Then the portal talk takes us to one of the top names in the transfer market, Minnesota’s Kylie Murr (former Ohio State libero). Watch here!

On the latest MasterCoaches Wednesday Weekly Buzz, we re-aired our interview with Russ Rose, one of the most successful coaches in Division I history. We asked him all about his tenure at Penn State and beyond. Watch here!

This week, we will again post our interview with John Cook – one of the best in the game and a forward thinker of our sport. He will share some of his thoughts and vision moving forward. Tune in 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:

Defending the Line with Genny Volpe – Rice Univ.
Arm Swing: Good Contact on the Ball with Matt Darling – Gannon Univ.
Legal Ramifications of Abusive Language Used by Coaches with Lee Green, J.D. – Baker Univ. Provided by: NFHS
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 Beach Volleyball Coach – Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL)
Assistant Volleyball Coach – Northwest Mississippi Community College (Senatobia, MS)
Head Women’s Volleyball Coach – SUNY Polytechnic Institute (Utica, NY)
Assistant Volleyball Coach – Louisiana Tech University (Ruston, LA)