The Fitz 5: Observations From Day One of GLPL

1. The Energy of Capital Volleyball Academy

Every time I’ve seen a Capital team play is always exciting seeing their energy and enthusiasm. In volleyball or any sport for that matter, coaches will talk about their team “can” vs “cannot” control. For the CVA teams I’ve seen play so far this year they have the focus on their side of the net to control the intensity and energy they play with. The first match of Saturday morning between Capital 17 Adidas and Sky High Adidas 17 Black was one of the most intense and exciting matches of the whole day. With CVA as the fourth seed in the pool with Sky High being the two, on paper Sky High was the obvious favorite. With both teams trading sets the first four, the fifth set was won 15-13 by CVA. It was as if their energy had worn out Sky High, you could feel the momentum, as each player on CVA built confidence with each point. Capital 18 Adidas played nine sets on the course of the day, but were 0-2 in match play. However, watching them you wouldn’t know. With their communication, energy, and enthusiasm they truly controlled their own intensity on their side of the court.

2. Remember, It’s Early

If teams are playing their best volleyball in January, that’s a problem. In most cases, teams will finish their season in June and say, “Wow, look how far we’ve come since January”. With athletes involved in multiple activities at their respective high schools the number of practices where the whole team was actually there are very few. Coaches are still figuring out tendencies of players, combinations that work (and don’t work), and parents are still trying to make friends with the other parents of the team :) It’s early, it’s a process, and with any process that is successful you need to experience some adversity (and awkwardness) to get to where you want to be.

3. 2020 Oconomowoc’s Tayler Alden Playing For VC United

Left handed, nearly six feet tall, smart, and savy is what everyone wants in a setter, Tayler Alden’s got it. This season Alden is playing for the 18s Elite VC United Team out ofIllinois  that will be one of the more competitive teams at GLPL this year. She is competing with athletes that most are a year old two older than her, ones that will be playing D1 volleyball this Fall. She is jump setting every ball she can, and then jumping while sending it over on the second hit in the deep corner for points. A true 5-1 setter that will continue to learn to lead with a team that will compete among the best in the Midwest and the nation.

4. The Balance of WVA 17 Black

Wisconsin Volleyball Academy went 2-0 on Saturday against Cyclones and Wisconsin Premier 18 Teal.  With a variety of lineups, WVA was able to use all their players to score points from a variety of positions.  Gabby Murray was able to score out of the middle, then switched to right side which opened up the middle for Lydia Lloyd and Cece Huhn to do some damage.  Against the Cyclones, late in the match, Rachel Aasby was able to take over from the service line, score off of back row attacks, and finished the game by tooling the block on the left side.  Jenna Chaussee was also scoring points from the outside as WVA pulled away against Premier.  

5. PSA To Players (especially Seniors):  There are still places for you to play college volleyball!

Some of these players have been to GLPL since they were 13 or 14 years old. Moving up to the 15s/16s ranks you see the jackets of big Division One coaches walking around and the eyes widen and the seed is planted to play for one of them. For the uncommitted Seniors, they might feel the pressure of finding the right school and hopefully the scholarship. It’s still there, the Division One coaching carousel is in full swing with coaches switching, building a new staff, and finding players who can make an impact not only on the court, but with  the culture of the team. Don’t be afraid to reach out and market yourself a little bit, it’s out there.

Division One college coaches are on a quiet period until January 13 which means they cannot go out and recruit until next weekend. This gave colleges at the D2 and D3 level to get out to evaluate. The smaller schools can be a GREAT fit! I know at times the mentality can be, “If I can’t get a scholarship then I’m not going to play in college”. If players love the game of volleyball, there are places to play, and even the D3 level there are academic packages that make the cost very similar to public state universities. For those who still want the dream of playing Division One, going the junior college route can provide options as well.  The Iowa Community College Athletic Conference has plenty of schools that give athletic scholarships and have lots of ties to the next level.