Tryout Details
Date / Time / Location
Our travel team tryouts took place in August.
Cost
$20 per athlete (plus platform processing fee). If you need to request a cost waiver, please contact [email protected] with the subject line “Tryout Waiver.”
Ages
You should tryout with the age group — as determined by USA Volleyball — based on your birthday. Some players may be selected to play in a higher age group if we deem them ready to do so during tryouts, but they cannot play in a lower age group. For example, if you are 16U, you are welcome to tryout for our 17U team. It is not uncommon for an athlete to play up one age group, depending on their skill, experience, readiness and the team’s positional needs.
17U – Born between 7/1/2006 – 6/30/2007
18U – Born between 7/1/2005 – 6/30/2006
Registration
You must have a LeagueApps account in order to register. All tryout participants must be pre-registered! No on-site registrations are permitted. If you cannot attend tryouts, please contact us at [email protected].
What to Expect
We work to foster a tryout experience where everyone is welcomed, included, empowered and able to perform at their best. For that reason, we ask that each athlete contribute to that effort: introduce yourself, be kind, celebrate good plays and root each other on if someone is having a tough time. We assess athletes over a two-day period to get a comprehensive assessment, and to allow athletes a chance to step up if they have an “off” first day. We will assess fundamental and positional skill, volleyball IQ, communication, presence, mindset and alignment with The QCVA Way. Parents will not be allowed to watch tryouts. This is done to limit distractions, so athletes can fully focus their energy and attention on showing us their best during tryouts.
For transparency, we will contact athletes that we plan to invite to our travel teams first. If you are not selected to join a travel team, you will receive the news via email. If you receive an offer to play on our travel teams, you have 48 hours from that moment to accept the offer and submit the first tuition installment to secure your roster spot. This is a non-refundable fee.
More About QCVA
Frequently Asked Questions
How is roster selection decided during the tryout process?
QCVA does not promise positions for athletes, as we believe roster spots should continue to be earned, not given, each season. We appreciate an athlete’s previous commitment to our club, and value the athletes who really want to play for and represent QCVA. Our interest is to maintain continuity in a team’s roster — where it makes sense — as this usually leads to better performance year over year. We are very intentional in roster selection with the aim to best position the team for success in the season ahead.
With that in mind, an athlete who is eager to return to QCVA naturally maintains a slight edge during team selection. This is true outside of circumstances when we deem that a new athlete demonstrates greater skill in certain areas or would be a better fit to address the team’s needs (position, leadership, personality, etc). We also consider the behavior of a returning athlete and/or their parent, specifically alignment with the QCVA Way and our expectations around attendance, attitude, effort, etc. in our decision-making.
Who are each team’s coaches, and what is each team’s tournament schedules?
Coach Bailey will coach our 17s team, and Coach Moana will coach our 18s team. Several of our travel team coaches from last season will support training at practices and tournaments. We’ll share a projected tournament schedule, team fees and tryout prep information with registrants prior to the start of tryouts. Learn more about our coaching staff, and check out last season’s tournament schedule as a reference if you are new to QCVA.
If I receive and accept a travel team offer, how much is the tuition?
Tuition is $2,590 for the 2024 season. This pays for facility usage, equipment, coaching fees, tournament entry fees, administration fees, recruiting support and leadership workshops. We offer the option for families to pay the tuition in full or in three installments during the course of the season. Costs for uniforms, travel to tournaments, AAU/USAV registrations, private lessons, etc. are not included.
How do you support an athlete’s pursuits to play in college?
We work with our athletes to support their pursuits at all divisions. Our team works directly with you to explore your options, build out plans, draft communications and advocate to college coaches on your behalf. We offer individual consultation, planning meetings and private lessons to run skill specific drills for video footage that can be sent to college coaches. During the 2023 season, all 12 of our graduating seniors received an offer to play in college, and ten of them made commitments to play at the next level! We also support our athletes to take greater ownership of their communication and decision-making in preparation for college.
What will teams do from August through November?
It’s important to us to respect the commitment of athletes and coaches to their high school seasons. With that said, we may organize occasional activities for each team to build connections and train, whether that’s an open gym or fitness training.
What if financial barriers might limit my ability to participate?
We provide our services at cost-effective rates with the goal to offer the most value to our athletes and their families. No one will be turned away due to an inability to pay. We also offer a limited number of tuition and travel scholarships to athletes who demonstrate a financial need and submit an application.
What if I don’t want to play travel ball, but do want to receive training?
As part of our mission to expand access to the game of volleyball in the Charlotte area, the High Performance Training Program develops volleyball skill and builds volleyball IQ among young people who are eager to grow as players. Read more here.
Please contact [email protected] with any questions about tryouts. Thank you!
The work that we do at QCVA is bigger than volleyball. We get to know every athlete and invest in them by nurturing their development as players and as young people. Since we are a small club, athletes benefit from multiple points of individualized instruction, a diversity of perspectives and a strong support system. We also focus on life skill development and the fostering of community, within each team, across teams and throughout the club. Learn more through our 2023 season recap and impact to date.