College volleyball is different from the ‘regular’ volleyball you are used to in the Netherlands: both in organization and in atmosphere. In America you don’t play for a club team, but for a school or a university. In America, this is the highest possible competition for youth players and it is highly sought after among American volleyball players. For almost every American youth volleyball player, the goal is to play for a good college volleyball team.
On average, a team consists of 20 boys or girls, and you train together every day. With your team you compete against other universities in the league (conference). The ultimate goal? To win the conference! Then the team qualifies for the national tournament, where the best teams in America compete!
The biggest difference of all is the atmosphere during the games. Teammates and fans make a lot of noise, encouraging each other and often shouting encouraging texts at each other. So don’t be surprised if suddenly in the middle of the match there is shouting across the field and thousands of fans and students are watching: the energy level is very high!
Are you curious about all the differences between college volleyball and “normal” volleyball in the Netherlands? Then read this article!