What does Open, A, B, and BB mean for volleyball divisions?

Question

I see these divisions posted for tournaments but I do not know what they mean. What are the differences between these divisions?

Why would I join a tournament for Open versus a tournament for BB, for example?

Answer 1

B is a step up from novice/beginner,  BB is the next level up from B (intermediate) and A is advanced.  Sometimes, there will be a AA division as well, which is even more advanced than A.  

If a tournament has an OPEN division, that is the highest division offered.  If I were you, I would only sign up for OPEN if I were REALLY GOOD  & had won some AA tournaments.

In my experience, in BB, the people are pretty good, but they don't even know where they are going to hit, so it makes it difficult to defend.  Sometimes a lot of VERY SLOPPY PLAY.

In A, the players are better than B & have more control in their serving & hitting.  If you are good defensively, you might be able to "read" where they will hit.  These players, however, will be better at placing the ball on the court & can be tricky!

AA & OPEN players will be VERY GOOD & can almost always put the ball anywhere on the court.

Answer 2

Good answer by aehanrahan. As she stated, Open is the toughest tournament cuz may college players, current pro players, retired pro players may join it. It is up to your volleyball level, you don't want to join a 2 levels higher than yours tournament and become a weakest link on court. Trust me, it is not fun. And vice versa. Find your own level by watching other people play, then make decision which division you will attend.