The 2025 AVCA Phenom College Prep Program will be held on December 18-20, 2025, in Kansas City, Missouri. All programming will take place at the Kansas City Convention Center.
For the thirteenth year, the AVCA will host the invitation only Phenom College Preparatory Program. Since the start of the program, 80% of participating athletes end up on college rosters!
The Phenom Program is the only showcase that consistently has 200+ college coaches in attendance. In 2022, 242 college coaches RSVP'd in advance or registered onsite. In 2023, that number rose to 425 coaches, and in 2024, 248 coaches RSVP'd or registered onsite.
Who is invited?
The AVCA Phenom College Prep Program is an invitation-only event for uncommitted seniors on the AVCA All-American Watch List and uncommitted underclassmen on the AVCA Phenom List.
Athletes recognized on the AVCA Phenom List have been identified by the AVCA as elite rising high school volleyball student-athletes (2027, 2028, and 2029 grad years in the Fall of 2025). These athletes have received some significant external form of recognition for their outstanding play (i.e. All-Region, All-District, All-State, Prep Volleyball, USAV NTDP or Regional High-Performance Team, etc.). The athletes are nominated through the AVCA Nomination form, which is then evaluated by the AVCA.
Additionally, the Phenom Watchlist nominee’s high school coach, club coach, or club director must be an active AVCA Member under the High School/Interscholastic, Club Coach, or Club Director AVCA membership categories in order to be placed on the Phenom List and receive an invitation to the Phenom College Prep Program.
Athletes recognized on the AVCA All-America Watchlist have been identified by the AVCA as elite Senior (2026 grad year in the Fall of 2025) high school volleyball student-athletes. These athletes are underclassmen who have received some significant external form of recognition for their outstanding play (i.e. All-Region, All-District, All-State, Prep Volleyball, USAV NTDP or Regional High-Performance Team, etc.). The athletes are nominated through the AVCA Nomination form which is then evaluated by the AVCA.
In order to be eligible for the AVCA All-America Watchlist, an athlete’s High School Head Coach must be an active AVCA member. Nominations can be submitted by the player’s club coach or director, but eligibility is tied to the membership status of their High School Head Coach.
2025 Phenom Program participants will receive or participate in:
- AVCA Phenom Talent Showcase, where athletes will demonstrate their skills in front of the college coaches in attendance in person.
- Volleyball Performance Testing: Since 2023, we partner with Triple Crown Sports (TCS) to administer the physical performance testing. Physical metrics testing results will be accessible via the TCS portal.
- TAP Assessments: learn more about your athlete behavioral style and strengths!
- Player educational sessions regarding recruiting, life as a college athlete, careers in volleyball, etc.
- Parent-specific educational sessions with NCSA about recruiting rules and what to expect during the process
- Parent education session with the Hospital for Special Surgery (NY) Sports Medicine division regarding sports injury prevention
- Parent and player education session with NeuroFuel, regarding athlete mental health, visualization, and how to sharpen your mind in order to perform at your best. Players will also receive a free one-year subscription to NeuroFuel.
- Nike T-shirt
- A list of college coaches who attended or viewed the Talent Showcase provided after the event.
- AVCA is partnering with University Athlete in order to provide access to player information to college coaches onsite using the UA database.
This unique event is designed to prepare and educate participants and their parents about playing volleyball at the collegiate level.
Click here for the 2024 Phenom Program schedule: 2024 Phenom Schedule 12.16.24 (2)
Registration Information
Being on the AVCA Phenom List does not automatically secure a spot in the Phenom College Preparatory Program. Invitations to athletes on the list will be emailed on September 24, 2025.
Registration is first-come, first-served for uncommitted athletes on the AVCA Phenom List or AVCA All-America Watchlist. Registration will close in November or when capacity has been reached.
Registration for the 2025 AVCA Phenom Program will be $249. In addition, players can purchase one (1) NCAA Match Ticket book for themselves, and up to two (2) NCAA Match Ticket books for their parents or guardians, for a maximum of three (3) total ticket books. Ticket pricing is listed below. Each ticket book contains one ticket to the NCAA D1 Women’s Semi-Final matches and one ticket to the NCAA D1 Women’s National Championship.
- $249 Registration Fee
- Optional Add-On Tickets:
- $100 Upper Level NCAA Match Ticket
- $200 Lower Level NCAA Match Ticket
As a reminder, the $249 base fee does not include a ticket to the NCAA Semi-Final or Final matches. These must be selected and purchased as an add-on during registration. Up to two (2) additional parent/guardian ticket books may be purchased per athlete for a maximum of three (3) tickets per athlete. Each ticket book contains tickets to BOTH Semi-final matches on Thursday as well as the NCAA Final on Saturday.
NCAA match tickets will be distributed electronically ONLY via NCAA Ticketmaster Account Manager. No printed ticket books are available. Tickets will be sent out via e-mail in early December.
Cancellation requests will be accepted through November 14, 2025. All refunds of Phenom Program Upper or Lower Level Registration Packages are subject to a 25% processing fee. Add-on NCAA tickets will be refunded with any Phenom Registration request.
FAQs
Is a hotel block available? Registered athletes will be able to view the private event page for hotel room block links. It is not a stay and play event, but we will have discounted room rates available for those who need accommodations.
Do I need to purchase a separate NCAA match ticket? YES! This is a new change for 2025 in order to give more players more flexibility in the event that their travel schedules do not align with the NCAA match schedule. Players may select and purchase one (1) NCAA match ticket book for themselves during Phenom registration. Up to two (2) add-on tickets can be purchased during Phenom registration as well, in order for parents/guardians to attend the NCAA matches. Each ticket book contains one ticket to the NCAA Semi-Final matches (which allows for entry to both matches on Thursday) and one ticket to the NCAA National Championship match on Sunday.
Why are there so many college coaches in attendance? The AVCA also hosts the annual AVCA Coaches Convention the same weekend and location as the Phenom College Prep Program. The Talent Showcase is advertised to and on the schedule for Convention attendees. The AVCA Convention attracts hundreds of college coaches from all divisions, from all across the country!
What if I am on the Watch List, but don't receive my invitation in September? Please contact the AVCA!
TESTIMONIALS
“My favorite part was the NCAA matches. Being around the high-quality players was inspiring to want to be one of them.” – Athlete
“Participating in the showcase was awesome, seeing so many college coaches together was surreal. There were soo many. It was a really cool program that tested me, and my abilities.” – Athlete
“The Phenom Program definitely created exposure with college coaches. I am now corresponding with 3 DII schools and 5 NAIA schools that I had no previous contact with.” – Athlete
“Since attending this event, my daughter was immediately contacted by college coaches before we even got on a flight back home and has been receiving emails ever since. She now has more choices than ever.” – Parent
“I loved the All-American Panel. It really helped me figure out what is important when looking for a college.” – Athlete
