AVCA Girls HS All-America – noms close TODAY; AVCA Webinars; PVF Adds Vegas team; Athletes Unlimited Week 3; NJCAA Champs to air on ESPN+
October 18, 2023
24-7-365, the AVCA’s focus is to make volleyball matter. Make the volleyball coaching profession matter. From coaching education to our Career Center and from awards and recognition for you and your athletes to advocating on behalf of our members, the AVCA understands there is no Comm_nity without YOU! AVCA membership is always in season, and your season is now! Renew your membership or join our commYOUnity of volleyball coaches today! #WeAreAVCA
REGISTER TODAY – 2023 AVCA Convention in Tampa, Florida!
Featured Session:Pre-Convention Seminar: Skill Development Training for your Athletes, Tactics, and Drills from the Pros – presented by RIP-IT
Join us for a deep dive into training. Immerse yourself in a dynamic learning experience as top-tier coaches from the Professional Volleyball Federation share invaluable insights into refining players’ skills, implementing effective tactics, and unleashing a library of specialized drills. Elevate your coaching prowess and equip your athletes from every level with the expertise of elite coaches, setting a solid foundation for excellence on the volleyball court.
ESPN and the NJCAA have announced national championship content that will now stream on ESPN+ starting with the fall 2023 national championships – including the NJCAA DI Volleyball Championship placing matches and final. More here.
Did your team set an attendance record? Share with the AVCA!
The AVCA is seeking to promote schools breaking program, conference, or overall attendance records during the 2023 season! We will share social media posts and are creating a special page on our website listing attendance records. Email Pat Henderson or tag AVCA on social media!
The University of Houston Volleyball team sold out the Fertitta Center for the first time in history. Saturday’s match against Texas brought 7,054 fans to shatter their previous VB attendance record of 1,904 – set in this season’s home opener against USC, AND all UH women’s sporting events (6,023 – set by women’s basketball against Baylor in 1993).
Michigan State volleyball played the No. 2-ranked team in the country tough on Friday night, falling to Nebraska 3-1 from the Breslin Center. With 8,789 fans in attendance the Spartans set a new program attendance record to break the previous mark of 7,326 set against Michigan in 2022.
AVCA Girls High School All-America Awards – Nominations Close TODAY, October 18!
Nominations for the 2023 AVCA Girls High School All-America Volleyball teams, AVCA Best and Brightest Awards, and AVCA National Coach of the Year close Wednesday, October 18 at 5 PM ET. As a reminder, an AVCA nomination AND a MaxPreps Stats submission must be completed in order for athletes to be eligible for the AVCA All-America or AVCA All-Region teams. Please follow this link for more information about both awards programs. If you have any questions, contact the AVCA.
AVCA Thirty Under 30 High School and New AVCA Thirty OVER 30 Award
The criteria for the Thirty Under 30 High School Award remain unchanged. Nominees/Award winners must be active AVCA members and be 30 years old OR younger before December 31, 2023.
Nominations for both Awards close Tuesday, October 31st. A press release announcing the Award winners will be sent out in mid-November.
AVCA Victory Club – Nominations Now Accepted
The 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 on Friday, December 15 at the 2023 AVCA Annual Convention in Tampa, FL. Submit your milestone wins here!
The AVCA, in conjunction with the U.S. Marine Corps, has developed a new award in 2023. The USMC/AVCA Battles Won Award recognizes volleyball players and coaches who are overcoming obstacles on and off the court.
As part of Battles Won, the AVCA gathered nominations and will present the stories of a dozen individuals in the volleyball community who have faced hardships and come back strong. At the AVCA Convention in Tampa this December, one player and one coach will be presented with the 2023 USMC/AVCA Battles Won Award.
AVCA Boys Talent Showcase – Register Your Athletes Today!
The AVCA Boys Talent Showcase is a recruiting event designed to provide high school boys the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of the collegiate coaches that attend the AVCA Convention in Tampa, Florida. The cost $99 per athlete. Athletes that choose to register will:
participate in the talent showcase [on Saturday, December 16]
athletics metric testing called the AVCA Volleyball Performance Index
receive insight into the collegiate recruiting process and tips to improve their visibility
Collegiate Partner polls are conducted by their respective organizations & not managed by AVCA.
The Schedule is Released for the 2023-2024 BVCA Club Challenge Series powered by JVA
The JVA is pleased to announce the slate of events that comprise the 2023-2024 BVCA Club Challenge Series powered by the JVA. The sixth year of the series brings new hosts and participating beach clubs, along with club dual competition at various levels. View the release.
From JVA: The Junior Club Bill of Rights
Through daily phone conversations and page long emails with Club Directors, we hear of their frustrations, fears, and limitations. We often times serve as a sounding board and an ally in their struggle to survive in a competitive market. As business owners, club directors have specific rights. Many times these rights are unknown to them and ignored by others, so we drafted the “Junior Club Bill of Rights” to spread awareness and empower the junior club leaders.
Seeking Opportunities to Unleash Leadership Success is a half-day interactive workshop for coaches that focuses on personal growth which always improves the professional ability to lead others and enhances coaching performance, relationships and outcomes.Register here.
Michael will show you how to become skillful at recognizing reflexive physiological shifts, and build inner resources, strategies and ways of relating to and managing adaptive reactions in order to optimize resilience, metabolic output, focus, recovery and sustainable levels of performance. Register here.
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.
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!
Las Vegas Named Seventh Team for 2024 Inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation Season Hall of Fame coach Fran Flory also announced as team’s head coach. Volleyball veteran, former Red Bull executive Ruben Hererra to serve as President. Each of the seven PVF teams will play a 24-match schedule in 2024. In addition to those seven teams, Pro Volleyball Federation has added three teams that will begin play in 2025.
Season 3 of Athletes Unlimited Volleyball continues through November 6 in Mesa, Arizona! The women’s professional volleyball league features 44 of the best women’s professional volleyball players in the world. Click here for broadcast schedule.
The College Transfer Showcase is a recruiting event open to uncommitted college student-athletes who have officially entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, junior college transfers who have completed their two years of eligibility, as well as NAIA and international athletes. The showcase will be organized and managed by MasterCoaches, Mick Haley, Bob Bertucci, Bill Walton, Fran Flory, and Cathy George.
Any coach registered for the AVCA Convention can attend the College Transfer Showcase for no extra charge. NJCAA, NCAA, NAIA and other coaches who are interested in attending the College Transfer Showcase can register by clicking here.
If you have any athletes interested in participating, they may click to register.There will be one wave of student-athletes participating from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Dec. 16 in the West Hall of the Tampa Convention Center held just prior to the Girls’ Talent Showcase. Click here for more information, and click here for an informational flyer.
The AP’s Eric Olson details how upstart shoe brands, like Volleyball startup Avoli,are using NIL to gain brand awareness, even if they aren’t making it onto the court. The product is boxed out due to department’s apparel deals, which have led some student-athletes like Texas’ Reilly Heinrich and Nebraska’s Harper Murray to switch between volleyball and basketball shoes to find what fits best for them.
From the longest match in the rally-scoring era, to previewing Wisconsin-Nebraska, Mick and Daniel have a blast breaking down the weekend in women’s college volleyball and revealing the AVCA Taraflex Top 25 Coaches Poll. Watch the latest episode of Six Rotations!
Holly Strauss-O’Brien, deputy director of athletics at Loyola University Chicago, is the chair of this year’s NCAA Division I volleyball committee. The former North Carolina player and UConn coach joined our weekly NCAA Zoom with Big Ten Network and ESPN analyst Emily Ehman and VolleyballMag.com editor Lee Feinswog.Watch here!
Last week on the MasterCoaches Wednesday Weekly Buzz our topic was “Athletes Unlimited, Their 3rd Season.” We interviewed Cassidy Lichtman about the league history and its formation up until this 3rd season. We discussed key returnees as well as newcomers, the scoring system, what athletes like about Athletes Unlimited, the 3rd season and Cassidy’s vision for the future.
On this week’s show, we will examine “all four volleyball poll rankings.” We will have experts (including Lee Feinswog of Volleyball Magazine) on dissecting the polls and explaining the thought process and information that develop each poll.
Voting for the Two-Year College Representative and NCAA D-III Women’s Representative positions on the AVCA Board of Directors will be conducted October 24-27, 2023.
Candidates interested in seeking any available AVCA board positions need to present a written notification of interest via e-mail to Kennedy Wells.Upon receipt of the written notification of interest, it will be required to also complete the AVCA Board Questionnaire (which will be sent upon receipt of the written notification of interest) by Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 5:00p.m. Eastern Time.Both the written notification of interest and the AVCA Board Questionnaire must be completed by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, October 19th to be eligible for this election.
Any interested candidates must be at least 21 years of age, be an active coach within the coaching group (Two-Year College and NCAA D-III Women) they will represent and shall be an active AVCA member in good standing on the date of election through their term(s) on the AVCA Board.
Current Two-Year College Representative Coach Shelby Forchtner (New Mexico Military Institute) will be seeking her first full three-year term after being appointed to the Board upon the retirement of Coach Paula Wiedemann. Current NCAA D-III Women Representative Coach Erica Rau (Oberlin College) will be the incumbent and will be seeking a second three-year term.
Coach Erin Lindsey (Santa Clara), Awards Representative will exit the board effective December 31, 2023. A new Awards Representative will be appointed by the AVCA president effective (retroactive to) January 1, 2024. The board will take final action at the December meeting on a Bylaw change to institute a non-voting At-Large Representative board seat effective (retroactive to) January 1, 2023. Direct any questions to AVCA Board of Directors staff liaison Kennedy Wells at kennedy.wells@avca.org or 859-219-3556.
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. Recent posts include:
Head Men’s Volleyball Coach, Olivet Nazarene University (Bourbonnais, IL)
Contact Alice Rogers to report a coaching transaction for publication in At the Net.
