The 2024 AVCA Phenom College Prep Program will be held on December 19-21, 2024, in Louisville, Kentucky. All programming will take place at the Kentucky International 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, 425 coaches RSVP'd in advance 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 (2026, 2027, and 2028 grad years). 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 (2025 grad year) 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.
2024 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 Index (avcaVPI™) Testing. Since 2023, we partner with College Sports Eval (CSE) to administer the avcaVPI™ testing. Physical metrics testing results will be accessible via the CSE 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. A full event schedule will be posted in Fall 2024.
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 25, 2024.
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 package options are as follows:
- $399 Lower Level Registration: Includes registration to the AVCA Phenom College Prep Program as well as one (1) Lower Level ticket book for the registered athlete. Each ticket book includes Lower Level tickets to the NCAA D1 Women’s Semi-Final matches as well as one Lower Level Ticket to the NCAA D1 Women’s National Championship.
- $329 Upper Level Sideline Registration: Includes registration to the AVCA Phenom College Program as well as one (1) Upper Level Sideline ticket book for the registered athlete. Each ticket book includes Upper Level Sideline tickets to the NCAA D1 Women’s Semi-Final matches as well as one Upper Level Sideline ticket to the NCAA D1 Women’s National Championship.
- $309 Upper Level Endzone Registration: Includes registration to the AVCA Phenom College Program as well as one (1) Upper Level Endzone ticket book for the registered athlete. Each ticket book includes Upper Level Endzone tickets to the NCAA D1 Women’s Semi-Final matches as well as one Upper Level Endzone ticket to the NCAA D1 Women’s National Championship.
Up to two (2) additional parent/guardian ticket books may be purchased per athlete. Additional Lower Level ticket books will cost $150 per person. Additional Upper Level Sideline tickets will cost $80 per person, while Upper Level Endzone tickets will cost $60 per person. 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.
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 8, 2024. 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? Each Phenom registration package comes with tickets to the NCAA Semi-Final matches as well as a ticket to the NCAA National Championship match. This ticket book is intened for use by the registered athlete. Up to two (2) add-on tickets can be purchased during Phenom Registration for parents/guardians to attend the NCAA matches.
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
