College Camp Friday “Growing The Game” On Eve of NIT
It is time. College Camp Friday is back. It’s always a vibe on the eve of Triple Crown’s NIT Volleyball Tournament where athletes are able to work with some of the top college coaches across the country.
“This is something that we don’t have an opportunity to do a lot. This is a great chance to pick up tips and build some momentum heading into the weekend, “ said Emily Lisi, a member of the Sky High 16 Elite team out of Crystal Lake, Illinois who will be competing this weekend.
Lisi was joined by her teammate, Ruth Ziegler. The two Class of 2024 prospects were extremely excited for a big weekend, but also wanted to make this a learning experience as well.
“It’s nice to be able to learn and use different techniques and get to know the coaches as well,” said Ziegler.
This truly is an opportunity for these athletes to be able to work with so many talented coaches under one roof to kick off Triple Crown NIT Weekend. In this particular group it was Jen Malcolm (Iowa State), Kellen Pateone (Pittsburgh), Dan Meske (Louisville), and Carol Price-Torok (UTSA), There were courts full of college coaches from coast to coast where athletes could attend different sessions with various coaches.
Dan Meske, Associate Head Coach of Louisville, compares the vibe to any national championship or final four, there is a huge excitement all around.
@KellenPittVB of @Pitt_VB with some platform work and @reesebatesvb with the demo pic.twitter.com/3vD5Bha7xS
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) February 18, 2022
“This is about growing the game. It’s fun, it’s opening weekend, there is a vibe, just like final four weekend, nationals – opening weekend has the vibe where it’s the start of something cool. Coaches and players are coming into town anyway so come in a little bit early and have some fun.”
Meske went on to mention, “The camps are low impact drills with a three day competition ahead no one wants to risk injury. This is more about having fun and giving exposure to all these schools.”
These college camps are a great chance to see what it would be like for athletes to see what it’s like to be in one of these college gyms and working with these coaches. This is also great for coaches to get a chance to see their colleagues in action.
“We have such a great culture in our sport and it’s such a great sport to be a part of. To work a camp with a coach is much more than seeing them out recruiting or at a lunch. To see them in the gym you learn a lot more about your colleagues and about the game. The game continues to get better and you pick up ideas you can bring back to your own gym,” said Meske.
Iowa State Associate Head Coach, Jen Malcolm says this is a great way for these athletes to get to know the coaches and for the kids to get to know each other. This is a great way to see what athletes like and don’t like about different styles of coaching and a small sample of what it is like to be in different gyms.
“I love camps, I love being around the kids. How can these athletes get to know each other as well? Communication is so big, having a good time, making them laugh, being silly and funny, but also getting after it at the same time is what it’s all about. We want it to be intense and give them a feel of what it’s like in our gym,” said Malcolm.
@CycloneVB coach running out of system drills for College Camp Friday at pic.twitter.com/oq955PN1x0
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) February 18, 2022
First serve is 7:30 AM Saturday in what will be a highly competitive tournament with the best clubs in the country. Lisi and Ziegler are ready to go, but so are the coaches with recruiting in what will be a “Normal” feel.
After a year of pivots with Covid 19 protocols, having to adjust the recruiting calendar for these coaches and athletes, 2022 is back to a normal calendar when it comes to recruiting. For Division 1 colleges coaches, they were not allowed to recruit live at a club event from March 2020 to June 1, 2021.
“We’ve been sitting at home with our recruiting for the most part and to now have a full year to see these athletes will be nice. It’s been two years since we’ve been able to have the recruiting“feel” for coaches and athletes. It will be nice for them to compete in a full house, play in front of a lot of people, it’s good for them to feel the nerves and that’s good to see how they compete,” said Malcolm.