College Club Volleyball

[vball710]

I know its not D-I or even D-III volleyball, but there are alot of talented volleyball players who play club in college. Who are some of the good teams and what are the good tournaments this upcoming season?

[BearClause]

vball710 said:

I know its not D-I or even D-III volleyball, but there are alot of talented volleyball players who play club in college. Who are some of the good teams and what are the good tournaments this upcoming season?

There are several club teams that can consistently beat good Div-III competition. In addition, club teams often schedule exhibitions against Div-I teams and participate in large tournaments. The one that comes to mind is the UC Santa Barabara tournament held in January.

Here are the NIRSA top-25 ranking from last season:
students.uww.edu/stdorgs/mensvball/NIRSA%20VOLLEYBALL%20TOP%2025.htm

Notice that Arizona is at the top. They have a deep pockets donor who fully funds the program. I've heard nearly all players get a full ride scholarship. Div-I teams only get 4.5. I know of one player there who used up his NCAA eligibility at Hawaii, and then played at Arizona for one season.

Traditionally, one of the top men's club teams has been Sacramento State. Cal's been in turmoil the past few years, but I've heard they've got a good team for this spring.

[vball710]

do you know when the preseason rankings for this year come out?

[BearClause]

vball710 said:

do you know when the preseason rankings for this year come out?

I'm not really sure where the rankings came from. The link was from a personal website. However - the following links might be helpful in determining what teams are out there and what tournaments are going on:

www.nirsa.net/sc/vb/index.htm
www.nirsa.net/sc/sctourn.htm

[Bearcat]

I was told Sac State canceled their program?

[BearClause]

Bearcat said:

I was told Sac State canceled their program?

I don't think so. Where'd you get this info?

www.csus.edu/org/mensvlly

They've got rosters, schedules, and even their own message board.

[IdahoBoy]

Utah Valley State has a great little program. They've been down a little the past few years but compete in the same conference as Arizona.

When Idaho's club was strong, we played in their conference for a season. Really good competition. I believe UVSC finished 3rd in the nation that year.

NIRSA rules are kind of strict, I'm surprised they let that college ineligible player play from Hawai'i actually.

For a while, UVSC had the best web site out there for NIRSA volleyball. I admit, since I graduated, I haven't followed it as closely. Hopefully I can help coach the Idaho men's team back into existance this season!

Utah Valley State College site:
www.uvsc.edu/clubs/sports/clubvb/

[BearClause]

IdahoBoy said:

NIRSA rules are kind of strict, I'm surprised they let that college ineligible player play from Hawai'i actually.

The player I was referring to is Chris Kosty. I'm darn sure it was him, because I did a double-take and asked one of his teammates. I'd met him before at a VB clinic.

Check the following article from the (Jan 12, 2001) Palo Alto Weekly:
www.paweekly.com/PAW/morgue/sports/2001_Jan_12.VBALL1.html

"Against Arizona, which is self-funded and offers scholarships, Stanford will see at least one familiar face. Chris Kosty, the younger brother of Stanford assistant coach John Kosty, plays for the Wildcats. He began his college career in Hawaii, played pro in Europe and is back at Arizona to finish his undergraduate work"

I believe the author is not quite correct. In looking for info, I came across that he played at a JC before transferring to Hawaii.

I've also heard of former collegiate club players playing Div-I while working on graduate degrees.

[IdahoBoy]

You're right, I was mistaken. I looked it up. You only get 6 years of eligibility though, so if he used 4 in college, he'll have 2 left.