Pros and Cons of Eastern Nebraska-Dominated Club Volleyball

The most elite and competitive clubs in the state of Nebraska have one thing in common: they are in the eastern part of the state. Clubs located in Lincoln and Omaha produce the best teams and train the top prospects each club season. Is there a negative side to this success? Depends on who you ask.

CON- The location is almost inaccessible to athletes that reside in the panhandle. To drive 4-6 hours one way, on a school night, two or three times a week is almost impossible, especially for a 16 year old. And that time commitment is for a midwestern commuter. 

PRO- As shown by college volleyball participation and success in that field, a good majority of the state’s athletes come from high schools located in Omaha and Lincoln. This is due most obviously to the sheer population of this area and the growing cities that surround it. This area is more prestigious when speaking of volleyball in terms of training and commitment.

CON- Multi-sport athletes that reside in places outside of eastern Nebraska have a hard time attending practices during the week. The most competitive clubs will practice two or three times a week with one or two practices during the week. For a player that is involved in basketball and then track, a practice for their high school will not end until 5 or 6pm, leaving little time to make it to a club practice that is more than a few minutes drive. 

PRO- The level of training possible for the top clubs in Lincoln and Omaha is hard to match for one outstanding reason: elite coaches. With the state’s powerhouse college volleyball team, UNL,  being in the same city as top club programs, coaches with success, knowledge, and firsthand experiences find it most convenient to coach just minutes from their homes. The athletes training in these programs get direction from the most intelligent coaches in the state, and in some cases the best in the nation. 

So, after looking at the cons of this club volleyball dynamic, one might ask, why not create a club in central Nebraska? It would cut down commute time and create a more accessible experience for athletes that don’t reside in eastern Nebraska. It’s not that easy. Lincoln and Omaha clubs have created a monopoly over the club scene, in the rare positive sense of the word. The top athletes need to be receiving attention and direction from coaches that play, played, or coach at some of the top institutions in our state, the most obvious being the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It would be extremely difficult to pull top players from these clubs due to the system already in place and the success that has been shown by clubs such as Nebraska Elite, VCNebraska, Nebraska Juniors and Premier Volleyball, to name a few. 

There are athletes that miss out on college scholarships and attention from coaches because of the lack of exposure in western Nebraska. Look at Jordan Wilberger and Alicia Ostrander of Scottsbluff and Gordon-Rushville. Both were key players for the Huskers, but risks for John Cook in recruiting due to their lack of club volleyball experience. Even a few years ago, those players were considered underdeveloped, but now with the increasing importance of the extra reps in the off-season, these players may not get a look from top colleges today. No matter the pros and cons, club volleyball is executed best by directors and coaches in the twin cities of Nebraska, and that’s the way it will be, at least in the near future. Hats off to the people who make our state one of the best breeding grounds for volleyball in our nation!