Volleyball tryouts can be one of the most challenging times of the year for club directors, coaches, athletes, and families. Clubs are tasked with evaluating players fairly, building competitive teams, communicating with parents, and managing logistics, often over just a few days.
The good news is that the most successful clubs don’t leave their tryout process to chance.
During a recent webinar hosted by the JVA and TeamGenius, club leaders learned how top volleyball programs are improving evaluations, creating more transparent team placement processes, and reducing stress during tryout season.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the session.
How Far in Advance Should Clubs Prepare for Volleyball Tryouts?
One of the biggest lessons from the webinar was simple:
Preparation wins.
The best clubs begin preparing weeks before athletes walk into the gym.
For clubs looking for a complete planning resource, TeamGenius and JVA created a free tryout preparation guide:
👉 Download the 2026 JVA Volleyball Tryout Prep Checklist
Four Weeks Before Tryouts
Successful clubs publish:
- Evaluation criteria
- Team placement philosophy
- Tryout dates
- Registration deadlines
- Roster announcement timelines
When families understand the process ahead of time, there are fewer misunderstandings later.
Two Weeks Before Tryouts
Leading organizations focus on operational preparation:
- Finalizing evaluators
- Assigning player numbers
- Confirming sessions
- Planning court layouts
- Determining scoring responsibilities
Many programs aim for three to five evaluators per 20 athletes.
One Week Before Tryouts
Evaluator calibration is critical.
Even a brief meeting helps ensure evaluators understand:
- Scoring scales
- Evaluation criteria
- Position-specific expectations
- Team placement goals
Overcommunication almost always leads to better evaluations.
What Are the Most Important Volleyball Tryout Criteria?
TeamGenius has collected more than 5 million volleyball scores and evaluated over 150,000 volleyball athletes.
Some of the most commonly used volleyball evaluation criteria include:
- Serving
- Hitting
- Blocking
- Serve receive
- Setting
- Passing
- Attacking
- Defense
- Height
- Standing reach
However, one of the webinar’s biggest recommendations was not to score every possible skill.
More data is not always better.
How Many Evaluation Criteria Should Volleyball Clubs Use?
Many new directors make the mistake of trying to score too much.
When coaches attempt to evaluate seven, eight, or even ten skills at the same time, they spend too much time looking down at score sheets and not enough time watching athletes.
The Recommended Approach
Most successful clubs focus on:
Three to five evaluation criteria total
Even better, many clubs use:
One criterion per drill
For example:
Hitting Drill
Evaluate hitting only.
Serving Drill
Evaluate serving only.
Passing Drill
Evaluate passing only.
This creates cleaner data while helping evaluators stay focused.
What Are the Biggest Volleyball Tryout Mistakes?
The webinar highlighted several mistakes that organizations should avoid.
No Evaluator Calibration
A score of 8 means different things to different coaches.
Without calibration, scoring inconsistencies become inevitable.
Judging Athletes During Warm-Ups
Players often arrive nervous.
Many athletes need time to settle in before showing their true ability.
Allow warm-up periods before formal evaluations begin.
Static Teams Throughout Tryouts
If athletes stay with the same teammates during every drill and scrimmage, coaches may end up evaluating team dynamics instead of individual performance.
Instead, shuffle teams regularly.
Scoring From Memory
Evaluators should complete scores immediately after drills, stations, or gameplay sessions.
Waiting until later introduces inaccuracies and bias.
What Volleyball Evaluation Trends Are Emerging?
Several evaluation trends continue to gain momentum across youth volleyball.
Position-Specific Evaluation Forms
More clubs are using different scorecards for:
- Setters
- Liberos
- Middle blockers
- Outside hitters
- Right-side hitters
This creates more meaningful comparisons between athletes playing specialized roles.
Named Ratings Instead of Numbers
Many organizations are replacing traditional numeric scales with labels such as:
- Below Average
- Average
- Above Average
- Elite
This often improves evaluator consistency because coaches focus on player level instead of debating whether a player is a 7 or an 8.
Objective Testing
Objective measurements continue to grow in popularity.
Examples include:
- Vertical jump
- Standing reach
- Speed testing
- Agility testing
The benefit is simple:
Parents can’t argue with objective data.
Additionally, objective testing provides athletes with meaningful benchmarks they can improve upon.
Historical Evaluation Data
Many organizations now reference:
- Previous coach evaluations
- End-of-season reports
- Player development notes
This additional context helps when athletes have similar tryout scores.
How Do Top Clubs Keep Volleyball Tryouts Fair?
Fairness remains one of the biggest concerns in youth sports.
The webinar identified several best practices.
Every Evaluator Scores Every Athlete
Instead of assigning evaluators to only one court or group, many organizations ensure every evaluator scores every athlete.
This reduces evaluator bias and improves reliability.
Use Player Numbers Instead of Names
Using player numbers helps evaluators focus on performance rather than familiarity or reputation.
Utilize Multiple Evaluators
More perspectives create more reliable results.
Collect Objective Data
Measurements help support roster decisions with factual information.
For more strategies, read:
https://teamgenius.com/defend-roster-decisions/How to Defend Roster Decisions in Youth Sports
How Should Clubs Handle Parent Communication After Tryouts?
One of the clearest takeaways from the webinar was:
Communicate before families start asking questions.
Parents commonly ask:
- Why didn’t my athlete make a certain team?
- What can they improve?
- What criteria were coaches evaluating?
Programs that proactively share feedback often have far fewer difficult conversations.
What Should Feedback Include?
Effective athlete feedback typically includes:
- Strengths
- Areas for improvement
- Next developmental steps
This shifts the focus from disappointment to growth.
For additional insights, read:
How Feedback Reports Build Parent Trust
What Is the Ideal Volleyball Tryout Structure?
The webinar’s recommended structure looks something like:
Step 1: Check-In
- Verify registration
- Assign player numbers
- Capture profile photos
Step 2: Warm-Up
Allow athletes to get comfortable before evaluations begin.
Step 3: Measurables
Examples include:
- Height
- Standing reach
- Vertical jump
Step 4: Skills Evaluation
Use one criterion per drill whenever possible.
Step 5: Gameplay Evaluation
Assess broader volleyball skills in realistic situations.
Step 6: Team Formation
Review evaluation data and make placement decisions.
Step 7: Communication
Quickly send team offers, feedback, and next steps.
The common theme?
Organization and preparation.
Build a Better Volleyball Tryout Process With TeamGenius
The clubs running the most organized volleyball tryouts all share one thing in common: a structured evaluation process.
TeamGenius helps clubs run faster, fairer, and more transparent evaluations through:
- Digital scoring
- Athlete feedback reports
- Team formation tools
- Historical player tracking
- Evaluator weighting
- Mobile scoring
- Offer management
Whether you’re evaluating 50 athletes or 500, TeamGenius helps simplify the process while improving confidence in every team placement decision.
Explore more resources:
Frequently Asked Questions
Most volleyball clubs should focus on three to five evaluation criteria. Scoring too many skills at once can overwhelm evaluators and reduce scoring accuracy.
No. Warm-ups should allow athletes to get comfortable, settle nerves, and prepare for evaluations. Formal scoring should begin after athletes have had time to warm up.
A common recommendation is three to five evaluators for every 20 athletes. Using multiple evaluators helps improve scoring consistency and reduce bias.
Serving, hitting, blocking, passing, setting, defense, height, and standing reach are among the most commonly used volleyball evaluation criteria.
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