1. Volleyball Recruiting: Considerations

2. First Things First I believe… Every player in this room can play in college if that is what they want to do!

3. Important  College sports recruiting is a really BIG business  Your daughter can play in college with or without using a recruiting service  Our family chose the DIY approach to college recruiting

4. DIY Recruiting  It just takes time and commitment (you and your daughter)  It does work  Freshman & Sophomore years  Collect data on colleges, start talking  Junior year– coach calls & invites  Unofficial visit offers  Senior Year  Official visit, offer(s), & signing

5. Recruiting Websites  Captain U  My favorite – monthly fee allows you to see who looked at profile  Very easy to use and set-up  Be Recruited (NCSA)  One-time fee  Lots of looks and easy to set-up and use  Hudl  Rich Kern  Yearly subscription fee  This is a volleyball only site – it has everything on it  University Athlete  Great tracking tool for schools  All USAV national VB tournaments you attended are listed here  Coaches use this at tournaments  Others?

6. The Clearinghouse  Both NCAA & NAIA have a clearinghouse that each student must clear before they can play in college  DO NOT spend money on this until you have decided what school you’re going to attend

7. Video & Pictures  Take lots of pictures, but be selective of what you post  Take unedited game video  If you own a iPad, edit video using iMovie ( Free )  Make a highlight video (3-5 minutes max)  Post it to your website and invite coaches to look at it  Set up a FREE YouTube account  You can edit and label video using YouTube  Using YouTube, you can track activity on each video

8. Talk to your Daughter  Important Conversations  School size: DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, NJCAA  Be realistic  Where do they want to go to college?  Dream school versus what can you afford to attend  Geographic limitations (e.g. Texas, Southwest, anywhere in US)  What is your anticipated major?

9. Next Steps  Develop a list of schools you are interested in  Do they offer your major  Do they offer volleyball  Look at their VB roster and read up on the coach  E-mail the coach  Make the email personalized so they want to read it  Keep emails short  Always give them a link to your recruiting website

10. Coach Interactions  Follow-up with a coach promptly, don’t be afraid to contact them should they be slow to respond  Monitor your recruiting websites daily / weekly  If you get a coach look – email them and thank them  If this college is on your list – ask to learn more about their program  Call the coach to learn more  Set up a visit

11. College Visits  Unofficial visits occur up until your Senior year  Most coaches love unofficial visits as they don’t pay for anything  Take advantage of invitations to visit campus to learn more about the school, the program, & the coach. This is key  On any visit, bring a notebook and have your questions written out and be able to take notes  EVERY coach we met with, loved this!!!

12. Offers  Offers may come in many forms  Written (letter, email)  Verbal  You don’t have to say yes or no immediately  Be honest with the coach and most will be honest with you

13. In the end…  Make the right choice on your college….  You will be there for 4 or more years  If it does not feel good on your visit(s), then…  Talk with each other (parents & daughter) why it didn’t feel right  It is totally OK to say NO to an offer  Sometimes saying no is hard, but it is always the right answer

14. Be Patient  Offers to visit and play will come  They often begin in your junior year  You may even get unsolicited offers from coaches you never met or made contact with  Signing & committing is in your Senior year  Important – Remember that college volleyball season overlaps with your high school season

15. Prepare for NO  Don’t worry if a coach is not interested in you  They will often be recruiting for a certain position you don’t play  They may show interest in you later  Player(s) leaving  Injuries  Other reasons  Coach change

16. Make this fun!  This is a lot of work – won’t lie to y’all  The best part is getting a coach to become interested in you  Enjoy the college visits and learn from each one  Make them fun… Plan visits around vacations, spring break, etc…

17. Parents  You will feel like you are doing all the work  It is often true  Talk with your daughters – often – even when they don’t want to  On visits, step back and let your daughter shine  In meetings with a coach(s), sit behind them and be quiet  Let your daughter talk  Parents that control the meeting is a TURN OFF to coaches

18. Ladies  Playing college volleyball is a big commitment of time and work on your part  You must be involved in  Contacting coaches  Email, letters, text messages, & phone calls  Develop a list of questions – often your HS / Club coaches will help you - bring them with you to every meeting and phone call  Take notes  Talk with your parents

19. Happy to Help Contact information Peter Graves 940-222-9700 (cell) Peterg@irrisept.comPeterg@irrisept.com (work)