Throughout my process of choosing a college, there was always one question that loomed over my head: do I want to play collegiate volleyball? My parents and coaches made it clear that they thought I should, but I was on the fence until the week before the deadline to commit to a college. Thankfully, my mom had the foresight that I would eventually decide to play and she had helped me reach out to multiple coaches way before I finally chose to attend Naz.
When many people think about the collegiate recruiting process, they believe that the athlete has to wait to be contacted by a coach. What they don’t realize is that it’s impossible for a single coach to scout every high school and every club team to recruit incoming students for the next year. A lot of the recruiting process requires action from the athlete’s side as well.
When you introduce yourself, either in person, over the phone, or via email, include details like where you’re from, when you graduate, what position you play or event you participate in, which high school or club teams you’ve played with, and the best way to contact you. If you have one, make sure to send a recruiting video as well. Some coaches may also want you to fill out a recruiting form on the Naz Athletics page.
Once you’ve gotten in touch with your sport’s coaching staff, you can ask questions about what the coaches expect of their players and learn more about the specifics of the athletic program. If you visit campus, try to talk to some of the current team members, too. Their perspectives can help you get a clearer idea about what it’s like to be a student-athlete at Naz, during both the regular and off seasons. A lot of recruits also like to do an overnight visit where they stay in the dorms for a night and shadow a current player in their classes. This is a great way to meet the your potential teammates and check out the classes and dorm life at Naz!
Though I didn’t stay overnight when I visited campus, I was still able to meet a lot of the girls who are now my teammates and good friends. Talking to them really helped paint a more holistic picture about on-campus events and amenities for students, how the professors allow athletes to make up tests if they miss for a game, and what it’s like to balance school, work, athletics, and a social life. I also happened to sit in on a class taught by one of my current professors!
If you’ve met with the coaching staff and the athletes and you’ve decided that playing a DIII sport is something you want to do in college, let the coach know your decision and start getting in shape. Don’t wait for the season to get stronger. If you ask the coach or the athletes, they’ll give you a specific regimen to follow to physically prepare yourself before tryouts and preseason. The volleyball team, for example, has a little black folder with a weekly schedule of workouts and lifts for the summer. There also may be opportunities during the off-season to jump in on a non-traditional practice with the team.
At Naz, most sports have tryouts for about a week before the coach lets you know whether or not you’ve made the team. I’m not going to lie, tryouts during my freshman year were very stressful and the thought of getting cut terrified me. However, if you don’t end up making the team, don’t let it get your hopes for playing a sport in college down. There are plenty of intramural and club teams to join at Naz that don’t require as much of a time commitment and are fun opportunities to explore new sports.
If you are interested in getting involved with Naz athletics, make sure to start contacting the coach and to get the ball rolling sooner rather than later. Coaches like to be aware of who’s coming to tryout for the team ahead of time so that they can start tentatively planning for the season, so notifying them last minute may hurt your chances of making the team. It may seem like a lot of work to play on a sports team while balancing academics, a job, and any other extracurriculars that you’re interested in, and sometimes, it does feel a little overwhelming. Still, the friendships I’ve made through the athletic program and the lessons I’ve learned in time management and mental tenacity are invaluable, and I’m so thankful that I ultimately chose to play volleyball at Naz.