How do you get on the USA men's volleyball team?

Question

Hi, how do you get on the USA men's volleyball team? I suppose they would scout top players from top volleyball colleges, but there aren't too many of those. Even though it's a different version of the game, Phil Dilhausser simply played club volleyball at UCF, for example. So, how do you go about getting yourself seen if you're at a college/will attend a college that's not big on volleyball, only having a club?

Answer 1

If you're referring to the indoor game, you pretty much have to play NCAA D1, and be an All American.  Even that does not guarantee you a spot.  I think only Salmon has come from a college program not consistently in the top 10.  They do hold open tryouts for those they haven't scouted, but I doubt anybody would make that team, and would pretty much forfeit their registration fee.

If you're talking about playing beach for Team USA, there is a qualifying procedure through FIVB.  To represent USA in the Olympics, you must be one of the two best teams in the country.  There are only 4 mens and 4 womens players on team USA.  I'm not sure how their standby procedures work.  There's no requirement to play at a big college to play beach volleyball at the Olympic level.

Answer 2

who knows

Answer 3

You can transfer to a larger school if you have the stats to prove that you can play on that level. Trust me, if you are truly great, They will find you and offer a transfer.

The cases of Gibb, Rosenthal, and Dalhausser are so rare though. These guys are extremely gifted and learned how to play the hard way and it took many years to do. They all joined the tour as nobodies 6 years ago. Nobodies in the national sense of course, and grew, very slowly into the stars they are today. They are not the norm.

In the indoor game, it is much harder to play without experience. You must learn attack lines and move with 5 other people on the court with a purpose. You can also specialize and learn a specific position.

No, in order to play olympic volleyball indoors without the normal college route, you can play at the club level in your region. If you want, you can tryout for the high performance team in your region and get some international playing experience. This is a good way to get noticed, however. Most college age high performance teams are filled with college players, however, not all.

My point is that if you're truly good and not overstating your talent and simplifying the game of volleyball, you will have a chance. Check your ego at the door and bust your butt in the training room and anything is possible.